Theosophy has served as a kind of spiritual seedbed from which a number of modern movements and organizations have grown. Some of these are direct continuations or reformulations of the original impulse, such as the various Theosophical Societies (including the Adyar-based branch, the Pasadena organization, and the United Lodge of Theosophists), which preserve and reinterpret the teachings of H. P. Blavatsky and her successors. Others represent creative offshoots that both inherit and transform core Theosophical ideas, especially the synthesis of Eastern and Western esoteric thought and the notion of spiritual evolution.

A prominent example is Anthroposophy, founded by Rudolf Steiner after his break with the Theosophical Society. Anthroposophy not only constitutes a distinct spiritual path but has also given rise to practical initiatives such as Waldorf education and biodynamic agriculture, which carry Theosophical themes of spiritual development and cosmic order into pedagogy and farming. In a different register, Alice Bailey’s Arcane School and related organizations such as Lucis Trust extend Theosophical cosmology and esoteric psychology, and have been deeply formative for what is now widely recognized as the New Age milieu, especially through teachings about spiritual hierarchies and inner training.

Another important cluster of heirs can be found in the Ascended Master and “World Teacher” currents. The “I AM” Activity, along with related groups such as the Church Universal and Triumphant and the Summit Lighthouse, rework Theosophical notions of Masters of Wisdom into devotional movements centered on ongoing communication with exalted beings. The Krishnamurti foundations also trace their historical roots to Theosophy, since Jiddu Krishnamurti was discovered and promoted within the Theosophical Society as a potential “World Teacher,” even though he later rejected its structures and doctrines; the organizations that preserve his teachings remain marked by that formative context.

Beyond these more clearly defined lineages, Theosophy’s influence permeates a wide spectrum of Western esotericism and modern spirituality. Various Rosicrucian and occult orders, forms of esoteric Freemasonry and Co-Masonry, and strands of modern astrology and ceremonial magic have adopted Theosophical concepts and terminology, particularly regarding subtle bodies, spiritual hierarchies, and planetary evolution. Many New Thought and New Age healing and metaphysical groups, even when not explicitly acknowledging the connection, draw upon Theosophical frameworks such as karma, reincarnation, chakras, and the idea of an unfolding spiritual evolution of humanity. In this way, Theosophy functions less as a closed system and more as a generative matrix from which diverse modern spiritual experiments continue to emerge.