The Crest-Wave of Evolution

What It's About

The Crest-Wave of Evolution began as a series of lectures given to the graduates' class at the Raja-Yoga College in Point Loma, California, during the 1918-19 college year, and was later published in the Theosophical Path magazine between 1919 and 1921. Rather than presenting history as a record of wars and political struggles, Morris interprets it as evidence of humanity's gradual spiritual and cultural evolution, arguing that a "crest-wave" of civilization has passed successively through different peoples across the ages.

Key Concepts

The lectures set out a Theosophical philosophy of history, revisiting the achievements of civilizations Morris felt had been unfairly neglected by conventional Western accounts, with particular attention to the Celts alongside the Greeks, Chinese, and other ancient peoples. Central to the work is the idea of recurring historical cycles, and the notion that a deeper spiritual reality underlies the surface events of political and military history.

About the Author

Kenneth Morris (1879-1937) was a Welsh writer and theosophist. Born in South Wales, he spent time in Dublin as a young man before living for over two decades at the Theosophical Society's headquarters in Point Loma, California. He returned to Wales for the final years of his life, where he founded several Theosophical lodges.