The Society

Jan Nicolaas Kind – Brazil

Sometimes, often unexpectedly, you meet people who make a lasting impression. John Drais was such a person. I met him for the first time in Julian during the ITC (International Theosophy Conferences Inc.) in 2011 and one year later, in 2012, at Olcott – Wheaton during the annual ITC event there. In Julian when I was shooting photos for the Julian photo gallery I “caught” him in between two talks sleeping in the grass under a big tree with a huge black hat covering his head and in Wheaton we had to chance to talk. He was soft-spoken, kind, had a good sense of humor and I was impressed when he explained more about the projects he was involved in. His profound knowledge of H. P. B.’s writings was impressive and his love for Theosophy was evident. Last January, through a friend in Holland, I heard that he had fallen seriously ill and not long after that that he had passed away. I am sorry in a way that I didn’t have the chance to get to know him better. I am sure there will be other opportunities in lives to come, so who knows. In the meantime I wish his partner in life Monica and all those good people active in the Paracelsian Order strength and wisdom. Although his passing was in January, I feel it is very appropriate to publish this obituary to honor this wonderful human being, celebrating his life.

On January 15, 2014 Rt. Rev. John H. Drais passed away in Dulzura, CA

James LeFevour – USA

Mentor

To hear Tim Boyd tell it, it just sounds like stories from his youth, but at the age of nineteen he met and befriended a profound person in Chicago who would become his teacher for decades. Theosophy idealizes people like the person Tim describes, people who give everything they have to the cause of bettering the world and benefiting the people in it, yet we seldom hear their names. You will not find Bill Lawrence’s story written in Theosophical archives, yet he was a true Theosophist by any definition.

Trân-Thi-Kim-Diêu – France

[The author is Chairperson of the European Federation and General Secretary of the French Section of the Theosophical Society. She has a deep concern for Theosophy and its future].

Trân-Thi-Kim-Diêu

Every true spiritual teaching comprises three aspects: theory, which expounds its fundamental verities; practice, which experiments with these verities; and the testimony of the genuineness of the experimentation by those who practice.

Opinions and ideas expressed in the mini-interviews are exclusively of those who are being interviewed. They don’t necessarily represent the ideas and opinions of the compilers of Theosophy Forward.

The responses of the interviewees are not edited for content. Some contributors give short answers to the questions while others touch upon the subject more elaborately.

Editorial

The Theosophical Society, Adyar, is going through an important transitional period. After the passing of Radha Burnier, for 33 years its international president last October, a successor needs to be chosen. With her death, an era came to an end. International presidents like Henry Olcott, Annie Besant, and more recently C. Jinerajadasa or N. Sri Ram will not appear again. The twenty-first century typically requires another type of leadership.

The election process which started earlier this year so far has been quiet and no skirmishes have taken place. Some well-meaning Adyar members have difficulties accepting the fact that both candidates — C. V. K. Maithreya and Tim Boyd — chose not to respond to various questionnaires they were presented with, and have not extensively appeared on the Internet, presenting their ideas and vision for the future.

Opinions and ideas expressed in the mini-interviews are exclusively of those who are being interviewed. They don’t necessarily represent the ideas and opinions of the compilers of Theosophy Forward.

The responses of the interviewees are not edited for content. Some contributors give short answers to the questions while others touch upon the subject more elaborately.

Jan Nicolaas Kind – Brazil

[In part, this article was previously published in Theosophy Forward, March 2012]

Readers of Theosophy Forward were recently invited to share thoughts regarding the succession of leadership in the Theosophical Society Adyar. Reactions were marginal or insignificant, almost as if the writers feared even to consider this subject.

The third quarter issue of Theosophy Forward contained an article entitled “Theosophical Leadership.” In the introduction to that article, among other things, I wrote:

“Before long, at the latest in 2015, once more an International President will have to be chosen, and it is quite possible that this time more than one candidate will be on the ballot. But having learned from the 2008 debacle, and looking forward to the future, even if there should be only one candidate, it is a good exercise to ponder the subject of Theosophical leadership. What are the requirements and challenges for a modern leadership that will enable the largest Theosophical organization to find its rightful place in the world, serving humanity? Who could be suitable candidates? And how should members prepare themselves for that inevitable election looming on the horizon?”

Jan Nicolaas Kind – Brazil

Aveline’s “bagunça”

What is bagunça?

When Theosophists go after other Theosophists, no matter what the argument is about, I believe one enters a red danger zone and caution is needed.

With the publication of his latest book, Carlos Cardoso Aveline from Brazil has stirred emotions left and right. Because of the way this release was handled a fiery discussion erupted on a Theosophical Facebook site. Shortly before this publication, those who belong to Aveline’s circle had been overactive on various social networking sites, performing their dreary mantra, deliberately ignoring rules moderators had implemented, not paying attention to warnings, repeating themselves again and again and above all incapable of engaging in a respectful dialogue.

Their chant “we are veracious and know it all; others, not on our line of thinking are nothing but petty pseudo theosophists”, is well-known to many. Thanks to a few brave souls Aveline and his tiny group of die-hard admirers were seriously questioned, put on the right spot and even banned from some social networking sites.

Jan Nicolaas Kind – Brazil

What’s in a Name?

In the various Theosophical traditions, different approaches are used when referring to speakers and authors. It is very interesting to compare them in order to come to a better understanding of those diverse ways of doing things.

Introduction:
Jan Nicolaas Kind – Brazil

“For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.”
— John F. Kennedy

In 2008 members of the Theosophical Society Adyar democratically elected their International President. It turned out to be a highly controversial election. Until today the aftermath of that unfortunate epoch is still felt. It is not the intention now to open old wounds or to launch another series of useless bickering, on the contrary. But every self-respecting organization, so also the TS Adyar, should have the courage to look at certain events retrospectively and learn from them, so that any mistakes made may be avoided in the future.

Opinions and ideas expressed in the mini-interviews are exclusively of those who are being interviewed. They don’t necessarily represent the ideas and opinions of the compilers of Theosophy Forward.

The responses of the interviewees are not edited for content. Some contributors give short answers to the questions while others touch upon the subject more elaborately.

Jan Nicolaas Kind –Brazil

Many moons ago, it must have been in the summer of 1968 while I still living in Amsterdam, that, for the first time in my life, I was told that such a thing as Theosophy exists. The man who was good enough to open that door for me was an elderly, well-known Jewish musician who miraculously had survived the horrors of World War II. I was fascinated to hear from him about the laws of cause and effects, karma, reincarnation, the visible and invisible worlds, tolerance and compassion, freedom of thought, and how music creates energies, influencing people’s minds and their environment.

I remember it vividly how we took walks in a park in the capital of The Netherlands. When we would sit down on a bench, he always started to tell me about his long and interesting life as a violinist and conductor, the artists and composers he had met, his years in Paris, the loves of his life and … Theosophy.

At the time, the colorful and vibrant sixties, my head was filled with Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and the Iron Butterfly. I was certain that I was going to change the world. Bob Dylan was my hero, the war in Vietnam was horrible, Woodstock was still in the making, and at night I sat down together with some student friends of mine, trying to understand what Jean Paul Sartre meant when he wrote that humans are condemned to be free. In addition to all that, this old man was talking to me about Theosophy.