INTERNATIONAL THEOSOPHY CONFERENCES, INC.
FOR JULIAN 2011 AUGUST 11, 12, 13, 14
Science and Spirituality
(ITC) INTERNATIONAL THEOSOPHY CONFERENCES IS DEDICATED TO THE PRINCIPLE OF THEOSOPHICAL UNITY.
MANY THEOSOPHICAL TRADITIONS WILL BE PRESENTING AT THE JULIAN CONFERENCE.
For more information click here: http://www.theosconf.org/
Email:
The General Secretary of the Belgium Section, Mr. Jan Jelle Keppler, wishes to share the following with you:
CENTENARY CELEBRATION OF THE BELGIAN THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
The Centenary Celebration of the Belgian Section of the Theosophical Society will be held at Hotel “De Linde”, adjacent to the manorial domain of Retie, which location is situated not very far to the east of Antwerp, from 3 to 6 June 2011.
Outside Hotel De Linde
Hotel “De Linde”, Kasteelstraat , 67, B 2470 RETIE, Belgium.
Tel.: +32 (0) 14 38 99 80, Fax.: +32 (0) 14 39 02 60
Website : www.de-linde.be
E-mail :
INTER-AMERICAN CONGRESS OF THEOSOPHY
September 22-25, 2011, San José, Costa Rica.
THEME: LIVING TO SERVE MANKIND
For more information contact: Ana Lorena Howell:
San José, capital of beautiful Costa Rica
Good News from Israel
Lord Buddha said: Hatred will never cease by hatred; only love can transform hatred—this is an eternal law.
The Theosophical Society in Israel invites everyone to participate in a convention to be held in Neve Shalom village (near Jerusalem) on May 12-14, 2011. The convention theme is “The Spiritual Quest and Interreligious Brotherhood,” and the convention will accommodate speakers, mentors, and religious scholars from Israel and abroad. The focus will be on connecting people and creating bridges between philosophical and spiritual principles of different religions and traditions.
Preliminary plans for the convention include talks on “Many Shades, One Truth,” “Divine Wisdom and Human Brotherhood,” “Theosophy and the Comparative Study of World Religions,” “The Thirst for God in the Book of Psalms,” “The Way to the Beloved in the Sufi Tradition,” “The Mystical Experience in Christianity,” and “Making the Buds of Compassion Blossom.” Panels will be devoted to religious leaders discovering points of contact between their religions and sowing seeds of Brotherhood in community service.
Other subjects to be addressed include “Can we contain the anger and fear in ourselves and others?” “How can we transform anger to forgiveness?” and “How long shall we let fear separate us?” Other activities will be singing in prayer and praying in songs, circles of interreligious spontaneous prayer, circles of motion and meditation in nature, and other music and singing events.
For details concerning accommodation and tours contact us by email at
GOOD NEWS FROM SLOVENIA
CHAIRMAN OF THE EUROPEAN FEDERATION (EFTS) VISITS SLOVENIA
From October 31st till November 7th 2010, the EFTS Chairman, Ms. Tran-Thi-Kim-Dieu, visited Slovenia. Ms Dieu’s visit was organized jointly by the EFTS and the private Institute Rman in Koper.
The event was initiated with a meeting of TS members with the aim of stimulating cooperation between Theosophical workers, after which the guest lectured on the theme: “Steps of Spiritual Realization”. This was followed by a series of public lectures at the three main Universities in Slovenia - Ljubljana, Koper and Maribor – at the public library in Ljubljana and at the Creative Center Abram in Pedrovo, a private artistic center in Primorska region.
The lecture at the Faculty for Humanities of the University of Primorska
The TOS is happy to announce the free distribution of a 40-page booklet, Helping the Dying, by Nelda Samarel. Dying often requires assistance, not only for those in transition but also for their families and loved ones. This Guide is intended for those who are helping. It discusses how to meet the dying person's physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs through all phases of the dying process, offering not only an understanding of the experiences of the dying, but also practical suggestions to assist them through their final transition. The booklet contains a list of useful resources for further reading, including ones with theosophical perspectives on death and after.
You may order a copy by writing to the TOS in the Philippines at 1 Iba St, Quezon City, 1114 Metro Manila, Philippines or to
The booklet can also be downloaded as an Acrobat PDF file and it is available in an e-Book version for which you will need to install a special (free) program. Pease follow this link for further instructions.
http://international.theoservice.org/news/201010-helpingthedying.html
Version in Spanish
Maria Rosa Martinez of the TOS in Argentina has kindly translated the booklet into Spanish. Maria Ester Larraza checked the translation. The Spanish edition will be available soon in an electronic form that makes it easier to print out and photocopy. Details will be posted soon on the TOS website.
Participants gather
Here in Stockholm we are enthusiastic about a series of workshops initiated by one of our members.
We started in the spring with Discipleship, partly inspired by Annie Besant. Then followed Self-knowledge. In September we have had Integration, Wholeness and Balance, inspired by Taoism and Ken Wilber. We will continue in November with Esoteric Christianity .”Love your neighbor” comparing with other religions, especially Taoism.
Books without Borders – An Outreach to Swaziland
Unpacking the pickup truck
Our long time friends the Thornes who we had not seen for a few years have a farm in Swaziland. Annine Wycherley a T.S. friend visiting from U.S.A, was keen to see some wild animals in the Kruger Park and Swaziland, so we took her to the game parks. Whilst in Swaziland, we called in to see the Thornes and they told us they had built a School called The Moya Centre.
This centre was built by them because the family was deeply concerned about the plight not only of their workers children, but the local people in the valley of Malkerns who are far away from the cities of Mbabane and Manzini. HIV and Aids have hit the community hard. Children are bringing up children. The Centre has facilities for Nursery School children, Primary School children and High school learners who come in the afternoon to be supervised and to do their homework. Looking in the classrooms we saw no books, which meant that there was a serious gap in their education.
Sponsoring the education of underprivileged girls in Pakistan
As the global war on terrorism continues and governments join hands spending billions of dollars to rid the world of this evil, another war is also taking place, albeit silently and very often unnoticed. It is a war against the ignorance, superstition and tradition that deny millions of women and girls in underdeveloped countries their inalienable rights. While her sisters in the West rose up and demanded equality, the Eastern woman, with some remarkable exceptions, has largely been helpless in changing her circumstances. A mere glance tells us why she continues to be equated with worldly possessions and subjected to social and cultural injustice of all sorts: because of her ignorance. She is subjugated and has no control over her own life because she is uneducated. It must be the ultimate goal of those committed to brotherhood to aid her to gain the knowledge that will empower her.
While the situation for women in urban Pakistan is not as bleak as in rural areas, it is nevertheless a far cry from the privileges that women and girls take for granted in the West. From birth a female child is discriminated against. She is fed only after her brothers have eaten (and therefore is always malnourished); she takes care of her younger siblings and helps with heavy domestic chores while she is still a child. Helping her overburdened and perpetually pregnant mother is her lot. Play and recreation are alien to her world. She has no self-worth and believes that she is inferior to her brothers. She is made to believe that her role in life is to be servile and obedient to the men in her family. First to her father, brothers and other male family members (grandfathers, uncles, male cousins) and after marriage – which often takes place when she has barely stepped out of her childhood – to another set of males (husband, father-in-law, etc.).
Introduction by Jan Nicolaas Kind
In 2007 I was fortunate enough to be present on the wonderful grounds of the International Theosophical Centre (ITC) in Naarden Holland, to participate in the Dutch Summer School. It was during a morning session in the Besant Hall, when I witnessed one of the most amazing presentations I have seen so far. That particular morning in July, Ali Ritsema, former General Secretary of the Dutch Section, gave an introduction to the Stanzas of Dzyan, I will not lightly forget.
What made Ali’s introduction so dynamic and unique, was her PowerPoint presentation with impressive images to accompany the rather difficult to understand and mysterious texts of the Stanza’s. Believe it or not, but by looking at those images, in combination with Ali’s presentation, H. P. B.’s ”puddingbags” and ”jelly-like” creatures of the first race came to life.
Drinking Water for All
A Project of TOS, Chennai
It was a small gathering behind Kashi Vilas [Earlier Pranavalaya] & in front of Vasantalaya, on the TS Adyar Estate on Friday, June 4, 2010. Tea & refreshments were served at 5 p.m. before the inaugural. Following the Universal Invocation, Ms.K.Jaishree sang a verse from a classical composition. The International President, Mrs.Radha Burnier cut the blue ribbon inaugurating the Reverse Osmosis plant that is capable of producing as much as 500 liters of pure drinking water per hour. Mr. C.V.K.Maithreya offered her the first glass of water and dedicated the plant to The Theosophical Society and all its allied organisations, including the Social Welfare Centre. Mrs. Radha Burnier spoke a few words about her childhood in Vasantalaya where she would watch the workers drawing water from the well along with other youngsters. She remarked that the quality of water was very good in those days. Other residents also sampled the water, as the function came to a close. The plant has been operating successfully ever since.
The link for the photographs with titles…
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=proconserv&target=ALBUM&id=5483692430450346545&authkey=Gv1sRgCI-SmIqX1-eiAw&invite=CODQyIMC&feat=email
Halldór Haraldsson – Reykjavik
Beautiful Iceland
To ask for any “good news” from Iceland recently has been difficult because “bad news” from here has been in the news media all over the world: 1) Iceland was the country worst hit by the world financial crisis, and 2) The eruption in Eyjafjallajökull caused a lot of damage not only in Iceland but stopped international flights in Europe and farther afield for quite some time last spring.
The Lodge Prométhée was chartered on 23rd March 2010. It is one of eight lodges existing in Belgium and the second lodge in the Belgian mining town of Charleroi, situated in the French speaking part of the country, at about an hour by car from Brussels.
Besides a study group of The Secret Doctrine the new lodge has planned several activities to be organised in workshops such as :
The Annie Besant Workshop will study the early works of the second president of the T.S.; The Vipassana Meditation Workshop will concentrate on meditation; The Dane Rhudhyar Workshop as well as The Road of Life Workshop will study astrology; The Patanjali Workshop will organize yoga seminars; and The Rukmini Arundale Workshop will research for the path of well being and propose presentations with activities on Vegetarianism, Ayuved, Reiki, Arts and Music.
All this is a testimony of how great the motivation is of the seven TS Members, who have started this new lodge. More information on their Website:
http://theosophiecharleroipromethee.skynetblogs.be
Betty Bland and Tim Boyd, president and vice-president of the Theosophical Society in America recently returned from Iowa where they had a private audience with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. His Holiness spoke positively about the Theosophical Society and in fact mentions it favourably in his most recent book soon to be released.
Seeing Eyes for Everyone
In launching this programme in September 2007, the TOS Chennai Region aimed to provide eye care for as many disadvantaged people in and around the city as possible. So far, screening for vision impairment has been carried out in five schools and two slum areas, totalling some 8,500 school children and slum dwellers. About 75 workers on the Theosophical Society’s Adyar Estate have been screened as well as a number of orphans in the area.
How does the SEE Project work?
It is a collaboration between the TOS and the Udhi Eye Hospitals in Chennai, which provide highly subsidised medical care. The TOS Chennai identifies deserving cases and institutions. Their member-volunteers make the non-medical arrangements and the Udhi Eye Hospitals send professionals to do the screening. If further treatment or glasses are required, the children and adults are sent to the hospital.
The TOS in Chennai coordinates the billing, while monitoring the numbers screened and treated. Occasionally, TOS medical coordinator Dr Sunita Maithreya offers a general medical check-up in conjunction with the eye screening. Mr C.V.K. Maithreya, President of the TOS, Chennai Region, Dr Sunita Maithreya, Dr R. Revathy, Dr P. Nagaraj and Mr K.S. Amuthanathan provide the energy behind this project and donate their time as volunteers. Ms Sharada and Ms Shanti from the Udhi Hospitals are their organisers and there is a team of optometrists. Dr Parthasarathy of the hospital is a good friend of the TOS in Chennai, as is its promoter, Dr Ravindran. Their help has been invaluable and this team effort between the TOS and hospital staff has been vital to the project’s success.
How can you or your group help?
To date, the TOS in France, the TOS in Australia and members from India and the U.K. have been sponsors of this project. If you’d like to help or would like more information, contact Mr C.V.K. Maithreya by email at:
You are invited to attend a seminar on Walking The Path, hosted by Canadian Theosophical Association in Montreal on the weekend of August 27 to 29, 2010 on the occasion of the ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE CANADIAN THEOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION.
If you plan on attending the convention, be sure to register as soon as possible to ensure a place for you. The deadline for registration is July 20. Please contact Gertrude Doyon at:
Featured International guest speaker, Tran-Thi-Kim-Dieu, will conduct the Seminar, which will consist of an introductory overview talk, followed by a series of workshops called Walking The Path.
Who is Trân-Thi-Kim-Diêu?
Born in South-Viêtnam, Kim-Diêu obtained her graduate and post-graduate degrees from Montpellier University (France) in Pharmaceutical Engineering, a field in which she worked for ten years, when she ended her career to serve the TS, starting with a six month sojourn at Adyar in 1986/87.
Since she joined the TS in 1972, she has served as a volunteer in various capacities for the French Section, the European Federation (EFTS), and the Naarden Centre (ITC) for which she held the office of Chairman from 1995 till 2003. She helped found the School of the Wisdom at Naarden in 2001 and launched the project for establishing a Study & Research Centre at this Centre. She is the current re-elected Chairperson of the Council of the EFTS. From 1991 till 1999, she regularly gave programmer in Eastern European Countries including Russia and the Ukraine, helped publish theosophical literature in local languages since 1992, and helped found the first TS lodge in Russia in 1999.
In addition to lecturing extensively, conducting seminars in Europe, and giving a monthly course at HQ in Paris (since 1987), she has lectured at various Summer Schools, Congresses and Conventions, the European School of Theosophy, the Krotona School (1996, 2002), the School of the Wisdom at Adyar (1997), the School of the Wisdom at Naarden (2003), and went on a lecture tour in New-Zealand (1999). She has also completed a lecture tour in Australia a few years back.