Who was William Shakespeare? Was he the author of the 38 plays, 150 sonnets and five long poems attributed to him? Some believe that he never wrote anything. In a recently published book—authored jointly by two scholars, Brenda James and Prof. William Rubenstein—the authors claim to have found historical evidence to the effect that the "real" Shakespeare was some unknown personality called Henry Neville—a Tudor politician and landowner. Shakespeare's will shows that he bequeathed large sums of money to three London actors, which shows his association with the playhouse, as the theatre was then known. But his will makes no mention of any plays or poems. "All that posterity knows for certain about William Shakespeare is that he died a wealthy man and dealt in real estate and grain," writes Raj Chatterjee. (Times International, October 25, 2005)

Critics and contemporaries could never fully appreciate the genius of Shakespeare. We get to know something of the "real" Shakespeare from certain statements in Theosophical Literature. H.P.B. writes: "Aeschylus, like Shakespeare, was and will ever remain the intellectual 'Sphinx' of the ages" (S.D., II, 419). Mr. Judge says, "The Adepts assert that Shakespeare was, unconsciously to himself, inspired by one of their own number." A Master of Wisdom writes approvingly of Shakespeare's method of handling old legends. Thus:

I agree entirely with Dr. Cromwell when he says that "true talent will become original in the very act of engaging itself with the ideas of others"; nay, will often convert the dross of the previous authors, into the golden ore that shines forth to the world as its own peculiar creation. "From a series of extravagant and weak Italian romances, Shakespeare took the plots, the characters, and the major part of the incidents of those dramatic works which have exalted his name as an original writer, above that of every other in the annals of literature."

The article, "Shakespeare," (The Theosophical Movement, Vol. 13, No. 2), attempts to show how great a genius was Shakespeare and points out that Adepts have always sought to instruct humanity through the channel of Literature. In fact, at one time it appears to have been the most direct method used to change the Mind and Buddhi of the race. It is not easy to unravel the mystery locked up in allegory, symbol and character portrayal in his great plays. Further:

The very medium of poetic drama used is indicative of the fact that the teachings which the Adepts planned to give were not to be imparted in a direct manner. Their intention must have been to provoke thought, to relieve heart perplexities purposefully engendered, by pointing to moral verities—all by a correct use of Suggestion; thus to clarify and to elevate human perception, and so to raise the moral sense of the masses, and prepare individuals for a more direct contact in the future with the truths of Occult psychology.

We live in an age of marvels, daily swallowing the news of fantastic happenings reported by the media. We are told about a 16-year old boy in Nepal who has been in a meditative trance for six months, without nourishment; the statue of Virgin Mary in a European town sheds tears of blood, and so on. We live in an age of credulity and unquestioned cynicism, which are two sides of the same coin. "They represent two faces of mental laziness, a disinclination critically to think things through; to ask those all-important questions: Is it really so? If so, why is it so? Could it possibly, just possibly, be otherwise than it seems?" asks Jug Suraiya. (Times International, December 10, 2005)

In this hectic world we often neglect questioning. We need to question things, even if we do not get final answers. Questioning is the middle path between gullibility and cynicism; and that is the steep path of the skeptic, which never seems to end. The skeptic is a true learner and seems to say: "Let us argue; if you prove me I will learn a new truth, and if I prove you wrong it will reaffirm my reasoned conviction that what I hold to be true is indeed true." Further:

As J.B.S. Haldane said in The Duty of Doubt, scepticism is the way of the scientist who must forever question the existing order (Does the Sun really go round the Earth?) to establish another order, which in turn must be questioned again (Did the apple fall on Newton's head because of gravity or because of an Einsteinian space-time curvature?)

Scepticism, as another scientist, Carl Sagan, never tired of pointing out, is also the duty of everyone who wants to live in a democracy. Because scepticism is about constant questioning, continuous discourse and debate, the life-breath of all free societies.

"So keep the faith, but skeptically," says Jug Suraiya.

Doubt is a cancerous growth, says H.P.B., but it is also said that there lies more faith in honest doubt than in a thousand creeds of the world. Honest doubt or healthy skepticism drives one to an ongoing quest for truth, which in turn endows one with a depth of mind. It is the willingness to probe deeper and not be satisfied with the first explanation offered.

Questioning is an integral part of spiritual life. An unquestioned life is not worth living. In one's quest for spiritual knowledge, Shri Krishna's advice is: "Seek this wisdom by doing service, by strong search, by questions, and by humility." Theosophical teachers have insisted upon mental exertion—the need to question, weigh and judge—before accepting the teachings. In the Preface to The Key to Theosophy, H.P.B. writes:

To the mentally lazy or obtuse, Theosophy must remain a riddle; for in the world mental as in the world spiritual each man must progress by his own efforts. The writer cannot do the reader's thinking for him, nor would the latter be any the better off if such vicarious thought were possible.

A Master of Wisdom calls scientific men pioneers of modern thought, saying that every fresh discovery drives them a step forward. "So keep the faith, but skeptically," is an allusion to having reasoned faith—being always ready to revise one's opinion or so-called facts. There must be readiness to accept the truth from whichever quarter it comes.

Mary Magdalene, who travelled with Jesus and is now considered a saint by major religions, is at the centre of the debate and mystery that raged round Dan Brown's novel, The Da Vinci Code. "There are many questions that may never be answered. Was she the lover and wife of Yeshua Ben Joseph (Jesus)?...There are many hints in Gnostic texts that she and Yeshua had an intimate connection....Perhaps Magdalene was an initiate of the Egyptian mysteries and a priestess," write Lila and David Tresemer (Utne Reader, November-December, 2005). Jesus called her koinonos, which means companion or partner. Maybe this aspect of partnership only hints at intimacy, without involving sexuality. It is said that she asked insightful questions of the spiritual teacher. She is the first person to witness his successful initiation rite, the rising from the tomb. "Accepting that Magdalene was part of Jesus' inner circle could make a significant difference to us now, at a time when peeople need to know that powerful, capable women are essential to solving the world's problems." Magdalene might be looked upon as another archetype besides Virgin, Mother and Whore.

Mary Magdalene represents the archetype that finds place in Gnostic literature. Like Jesus and Mary Magdalene in the Bible, one reads about Simon (Magus) and Helena in the Gnostic system of the earliest centuries of Christianity. People talked about the actual union of Simon with Helena. In the Philosophomena we are told that Helena is the manas held in bondage within the body. Helena, like Mary, was considered a prostitute and also the "lost sheep." Simon is represented as the Saviour descended on Earth to rescue the "lamb." Union of Simon and Helena is the union of Atma-Buddhi, or the divine principles in man with Manas.

While commenting on Pistis-Sophia, which H.P.B. describes as the highest and the noblest of Gnostic systems, she writes:

Mary, called also Mariham and Maria Magdalene, must not be confounded with Mary, the corporeal mother of Jesus. This Mary is by far the most intuitive (penumatic), and the most prominent interlocuter of all disciples.

From Philosophomena, V, 7, we learn that the School of the Naaseni claimed to have received their teachings from Mariamne, to whom "James, the brother of the Lord," had originally imparted them. Origen also...speaks of the Gnostic school, which derived its teachings from Mariamne.

Esoterically, however, Mary the Mother, Mary the sister of Martha and Mary Magdalene correspond to Buddhi, Manas and the lower Manas. (Lucifer, 1890-91)

Thus, Mary Magdalene represents lower mind and Jesus Christ is the divine nature or Christos principle in man. When mind is caught up in the clutches of Kama (passions and desires), the powers of the mind get wasted and it amounts to prostituting these powers—hence the depiction of Mary Magdalene as prostitute. It can be redeemed only when Manas frees itself from Kama and unites with the divine nature. Hence in the Philosophomena of Simon Magus, the Soul is represented as the "lost sheep" struggling in the meshes of the net of matter, passing from body to body, and the Spirit is represented as descending, in order to rescue its syzygy (co-partner) from the bonds that are about her. When this mystery is represented dramatically, and personified, the two aspects of the Soul are depicted as two persons.

There are thousands hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.

—Henry Thoreau