Order of the Star in the East

Order of the Star in the East
AbbreviationOSE
PredecessorOrder of the Rising Sun
SuccessorOrder of the Star
EstablishedApril 1911; 113 years ago (1911-04)
FounderAnnie Besant
DissolvedJune 1927; 97 years ago (1927-06)
TypeSpiritual organization
PurposeTo educate and prepare the world for the advent of the World Teacher
HeadquartersBenares (Varanasi), India
Region
Worldwide
Membership (1926)
43,000 (est.)
Secretary General
  • A. E. Wodehouse (1911–20)
  • Jiddu Nityananda (1920–25)
  • D. Rajagopal (1925–27)
Head
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Co-Protector
Annie Besant
Co-Protector
C. W. Leadbeater
Main organ
The Herald of the Star
Parent organization
Theosophical Society
SubsidiariesStar Publishing Trust
Affiliations
  • National Sections in as many as 40 countries and territories
  • Servants of the Star (youth organization)

The Order of the Star in the East (OSE) was an international organization based at Benares (Varanasi), India from 1911 to 1927. It was established by the leadership of the Theosophical Society at Adyar, Madras (Chennai) to prepare the world for the arrival of a reputed messianic entity, the World Teacher or Maitreya. The OSE acquired members worldwide as it expanded in many countries; a third of its diverse membership c. 1926 was unaffiliated with the Theosophical Society. The precursor of the OSE was the Order of the Rising Sun (1910–11, also at Benares) and the successor was the Order of the Star (1927–29, based at Ommen, the Netherlands). The precursor organization was formed after leading Theosophists discovered a likely candidate for the new messiah in the then–adolescent Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986), a South Indian Brahmin who was installed as Head of the Order. Almost two decades later Krishnamurti rejected the messianic role, repudiated the Order's mission and in 1929 disbanded the OSE's successor. The founding and activities of these organizations as well as the largely unexpected dissolution of the OSE's successor, attracted widespread media attention and public interest. They also led to crises in the Theosophical Society and to schisms in Theosophy. Krishnamurti's later multi-decade career as a notable independent philosopher has been a factor in evaluations of the OSE and its mission.