The Spanish Summer School this year was held from August 21 until August 27, in a hotel of the Catalan Costa Brava very close to the sea-side. Approximately eighty people participated.

The main theme of the School was "Self-Transformation Seminar" and the speaker was Vicente Hao Chin Jr. from The Philippines. Clarisa Elósegui, the General Secretary of the Spanish Section shared wonderful photos with us:

Participants of the Spanish Summer School

Vic Hao Chin Jr., Clarisa Elósegui (second from the right) and members of the Spanish Section

Ligia Montiel Longhi

During a meeting of the Inter-American Theosophical Federation (IATF) held in Costa Rica – San José, from September 22 – 25, 2011, a new President of that body was elected. After many years during which the IATF had either a Brazilian or an Argentinean President, now, for the first time ever, the IATF is headed by a talented woman from Costa Rica, a wonderful country located in Central America.

A letter from Vic Hao Chin Jr. – The Philippines
Theosophical education from kindergarten to university at the Golden Link College

Theosophical Center in Costa Rica

From Maria Orlich in San José, we received the following message regarding the plans for building a Theosophical Center in Costa Rica.

Members meet on the grounds where soon the Center will be constructed

The property for this project is located in San Pablo de León Cortés, about 70 km. from the capital, San José, at an altitude of 1,600 m., with a very pleasant weather. The property is surrounded by a forest of native oak trees which need to be protected, so only a portion of the land is suitable for construction; for now, local authorities have allowed 700 sq. m. for this purpose.

We received a report from Svitlana Gavrylenko in Ukraine. 

This year of 2011 marks the one-hundred-eightieth anniversary from the birth and the one-hundred-twentieth from the date of transition to a different plane of our outstanding compatriot Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. The International Forum, dedicated to Blavatsky's heritage and its value in the modern world, took place in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, on June 23-6.

The Forum was attended by representatives from twelve Ukrainian cities and five cities in Russia. There were also representatives from Spain, Italy, Belarus, and Romania.

Special guests of the Forum were the General Secretary of the Theosophical Society in Italy, Mr. Antonio Girardi, who was accompanied by Patrizia and Sergio Calvi; and a former President of the Theosophical Society in Spain, Mrs. Mercedes Villa Robuste, was also present. She came with her daughter Diana and granddaughter Sarah, so there were three generations of Theosophists.

Although this event took place last June, we are pleased to publish some photos to give readers of Theosophy Forward an impression.

Group photo

Simple Acts of kindness

In recent issues of this newsletter [TOS in touch.online] we have celebrated some simple acts of kindness that no one gets to hear about. Now we feature a Theosophist whose service to the TS has gone largely unseen because it has always been performed in the background.

Bernice "back home" in New Zealand

The President’s Secretary

Bernice Croft acted for ten years as Secretary to our International TS President, Radha Burnier, before retiring last February and returning to her native New Zealand. While many of us around the world wish Bernice a happy retirement, we know in fact, that she is as busy as ever, and has really only changed her service address from India to New Zealand where, amongst other community activities, she has resumed her long-standing membership of Soroptimist International, a volunteer service organisation for business and professional women working to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world. Her busy life has also included attending the annual ES retreat at The Manor in Sydney, Australia in May, joining a creative writing group and lecturing at the Wellington TS Lodge.    Bravo, Bernice!

Theosophical Center in Costa Rica

From Maria Orlich in San José, we received the following message regarding the plans for building a Theosophical Center in Costa Rica.

Members meet on the grounds where soon the Center will be constructed

The property for this project is located in San Pablo de León Cortés, about 70 km. from the capital, San José, at an altitude of 1,600 m., with a very pleasant weather. The property is surrounded by a forest of native oak trees which need to be protected, so only a portion of the land is suitable for construction; for now, local authorities have allowed 700 sq. m. for this purpose.

Annual visit of the Chairman of the European Federation of Theosophical Societies (EFTS) to Slovenia.

From October 25 till November 1, 2011, the visit of the EFTS Chairman, Ms. Tran-Thi-Kim-Dieu, took place. As was the case last year, it was jointly organized by the EFTS and the independent Institute Rman in Koper with the help of a number of Slovenian Theosophical workers.

Lecture at the Creative Center Abram