Theosophy

[This article appeared in the October 2015 issue of The Theosophical Movement. For more articles published in this excellent magazine follow this link: http://www.ultindia.org/previous_issues.html  ]

[In this section we seek to answer frequently asked questions, at U.L.T. meetings or during private conversations and discussions with people who seek the answers in the light of Theosophy. Answers given in this section are by no means final. Only a line of thought is being offered by applying general principles of Theosophy.]

Question: To the earnest spiritual aspirant the ordinary events and duties of life become bothersome and fatiguing. Why? How could such feeling be overcome?

Answer: There are various reasons why the earnest spiritual aspirant begins to regard worldly duties and events as bothersome and harassing. It may be because genuine seeker begins to feel that fulfilling of worldly duties leads to compromise of spiritual practices, spiritual work and duties. We can see that some of the spiritual exercises such as repetition of sacred name or performance of some rituals are only preparatory and only stepping stones to a higher form of spiritual life. If there is sincerity and devotion, it is found that circumstances arrange themselves in such a way as to facilitate the performance of the spiritual practice. Often, distractions to such practices come as tests and challenges, and if met without irritation or grumbling, lead to greater progress than the practices themselves.

Tim Boyd – USA

[This article was previously publish in Quest magazine, Viewpoint, winter 2011.]

Recently a group of us at the Olcott center got together to plan an eight week program on “The Essentials of Spiritual Practice”. The idea was that during the course of those eight weeks we would address the elements of a holistic and effective practice, making the necessary links between practice and the principles that stand behind and support it. Our thinking was that regardless of whether someone had been practicing for years, or was just beginning, they would leave feeling empowered to more deeply pursue their chosen path. In the process of talking it through it became clear that some effort at defining our terms was required.

We remember Ianthe Hoskins, December 23, 1912 – September 10, 2001

Jan Nicolaas Kind – Brazil

In Theosophy Forward’s previous issue we honored Dr. Richard Brooks. Must thank all those who wrote to me, expressing gratitude for taking this initiative. If it works out well with future publications of “We remember”, this section might turn into a new series even; I’ll keep you informed.

Ianthe Hoskins

Ianthe Hoskins – England

The author and Colin Price

Little can be added to the memorial lectures, biographical accounts and literary tributes that have sought to honor the Centenary of the passing of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Co- Founder of The Theosophical Society. But if the occasion is not to pass into the stream of Theosophical history without effect in the present, we have to release from the review of the past the latent dynamism of its central theme – a life termi­nated, a work begun.

Ianthe Hoskins – England

[Condensed from a Convention Lecture]

From left to the right: Hugh Grey, Ianthe Hoskins, Geoffrey Farthing, Lilian Storey and John Algeo in 1996

One of the recurring themes of occult literature is the obligation of those who receive light to share that light with others. We who today enjoy the light that Theosophy has brought to our lives have therefore the duty both of presenting Theosophy in the contemporary world and of ensuring its transmission to the future.

To our main question “What shall we transmit?” the answer seems simple enough, “Why, Theosophy, of course!” But is it really so simple? Let us examine question and answer from various angles.

Ianthe Hoskins – England

[This article was previously published in The American Theosophist/May 1974. Here in a slightly revised version]

The author with composer and musicologist Joscelyn Godwin

Mallory’s * answer to the journalist who asked him why he wanted to climb Everest has passed into the folklore of mountaineering. It answers equally the question with which we are now concerned: Why search for Truth? Why, because it is there!

But another answer than Mallory’s must be given when the question is posed in more general terms. He stated simply his own reason- if it may be called a reason-when the question was addressed to him personally. When from the particular it is asked of the world at large: Why do people climb mountains? The answer quite obviously is: Most of them don’t. And among the few who do, the reasons are likely to be as varied as those who are questioned. In the history of mountaineering the motives that have prompted men to climb mountains have included, for example, an inborn love of the space and solitude of high places, secret ambition, nationalistic pride and competitiveness, a thirst for the new and undiscovered, an inward need to overcome one’s weakness and fear, to prove oneself to oneself, as well as the inexplicable and irrational “must” that in some people is the only possible response to the magnetism of great mountains.

Betty Bland - USA

Betty Bland is past President of the Theosophical Society in America. She was and still is an active worker for the Society since she first joined in 1970, her emphasis continues to be the practical applications of Theosophical principles.

Why are we so fascinated with near death experiences (NDEs)? Certainly they are a curiosity and something beyond normal experience, but it seems to be more than that. Out-of-body experiences, premonitions and other psychic experiences are numerous but they do not have the notoriety of the NDE. There are not so many best-selling books or lecture tours about the other types of phenomena. Death, however, does seem to get our attention since we are all headed in that direction. Moreover, although the NDE reports are so varied in detail that we cannot get a clear picture, the NDE does give important clues to the basic questions of life. Why am I here? What is my purpose? Am I condemned for past mistakes? Are my loved ones forever lost to me?

Leslie Price – England

Second draft (November 5, 2012) of an October 24, 2012 talk to Camberley Theosophical Lodge.

The Apostle Paul painted by Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn, around 1630

In 1990, John Ashton, in his book The Religion of Paul the Apostle, made a thorough comparison of Paul’s experiences with those of shamanism. Here is an extract: “Paul’s reversal of all his values, his radical change of mind and heart, coincided with his call and conversion. It was at that very moment that he died to his old life and Christ began to live in him. What endured at that time was, though he nowhere describes it in this way, the equivalent of the shaman’s traumatic sense of being torn apart and reconstituted at the moment of his vocation. But Paul’s new spirit guide was different. Christ had attained his own new status, through an actual death and, so Paul believed, an actual rising from the dead” (p. 126).

John Algeo – USA

Silence

Verses 272-280

Verses 272 through 280 describe the final approach to and passage through the fifth and sixth gates. These are an interesting pair of gates — in some ways apparently contradictory, but actually they complement and supplement each other. The fifth gate is that of vīrya, meaning “strength, zeal, heroism,” an active and vigorous concept. The fifth gate corresponds with the principle of manas, the mind. The sixth gate is that of dhyāna, meaning “meditation,” a quiet and self-reflective process. The sixth gate corresponds with the principle of buddhi, the intellect or faculty that discriminates. They are respectively outgoing and inward looking: the warrior and the contemplative — one who spends life in fighting and one who spends it in prayer or meditation. Together they represent a balance, of precisely the kind one must have to pass through these two gates.

Radha Burnier – India

[Recognizing regeneration as the kernel of all Theosophical work, the International Theosophical Centre at Naarden, the Netherlands, jointly with the Federation of Theosophical Societies in Europe, organized two seminars in July 1990, with a number of office bearers, workers and members of the Society from different countries as participants. Proceedings of the seminar were published as a book under the title Human Regeneration: Lectures and Discussion (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland, 1990). This chapter (discussions) is here slightly revised.]

Radha Burnier in a typical pose talking to members in India

T.S. Work and the Fundamental Change in Man and Society

DISCUSSIONS

RB: The purpose of organizing these two seminars here is a practical one; we hope that as a result of the discussions we will all have a clearer idea about the work of the Society. There are representatives here from many countries in Europe and also from other continents. In many parts of the world there are sections, lodges and groups of the T.S.; some of them lack clarity about the aims of the Society and the universal brotherhood without distinctions which is our aim. Many here hold responsible offices in the sections and we must be clear about the thrust the T.S. should give to human thinking, understanding, and perspectives. If we are, it may dynamize the Society. That is what we hope. If we are not, vague activities may go on in the different branches without really promoting the work of the Society.

But the central purpose of the Society must be fulfilled by all the different units of the Society. So we hope that these discussions will bring about a clear understanding of the subjects chosen for the different days, and that we can take back to our countries and areas a new comprehension of what needs to be done.

H. P. Blavatsky

[The Vahan 1.1 (December 1, 1890): 1-3; here from CollectedWritings 12 (1890): 417-419]

Vahana (Sanskrit: Vāhana, literally “that which carries, that which pulls”) denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity, a particular Hindu deity is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vahana is often called the deity’s “mount.”

Because the word means a Vehicle. In Theo- sophical metaphysics, this term denotes a basis, something as a bearer, more substantial than that which it bears; e.g., Buddhi, the spiritual Soul, is the Vahan of Atma—the purely immaterial “principle.” Or again, as in physiology, our brain is the supposed physical vehicle or Vahan of super-physical thought.

Boris de Zirkoff – USA

[Original cover photo of Theosophia, California Redwoods]

The Sun is the vital focus of the Solar System. From it issue all the streams of energy and power which keep its entire kingdom alive and provide the forces necessary for its evolution.

In the present year, we are experiencing a maximum of the 11-12-year-cycle of sun-spot activity and some of the ancient occult teachings connected with the nature of the Sun suggest themselves for careful consideration. Astronomers of today have discovered much that was mere speculation a few years ago, but are still unable to throw aside limited materialistic ideas involved in their studies and enter boldly into the sphere of occult thought.

From a student

[The magazine Vidya http://www.theosophysb.org/site/publications.html , edited by associates of the United Lodge of Theosophists in Santa Barbara, USA, published the following article in its winter/spring 2015 issue; here slightly revised version]

Abraham Lincoln said that education is the most important subject we as a people can be engaged in. ”Education” is related to the root educare, which means “to lead or draw forth”, or “to develop from a latent condition.” “Theosophy” comes from Theosophia (theos – god, Sophos – “wise”) and may be understood as “Divine Wisdom” or “Wisdom Religion.” What kind of education would be Theosophical? What is true learning?

[This article appeared in the April 2015 issue of The Theosophical Movement. For more articles published in this excellent magazine follow this link: http://www.ultindia.org/previous_issues.html ]

What is it about alcohol which makes people reach out to it and over-indulge so as to lose any kind of logic or sanity? Liquor played a primary role in two tragedies that occurred recently – one being the case of drunken driving, and the other involved death of 102 people belonging to poor families in a slum area after consuming illicit liquor. Alcohol plays insidious tricks on human brain chemistry. Alcohol has paradoxical effects on the brain, as it works as both depressant and stimulant of the central nervous system. Drinking alcohol is considered a “pick-me-up” experience, as when alcohol is consumed in even small quantities it affects the areas involved in inhibiting behaviors, which can cause an increase in animation, in talkativeness, and greater sociability. Alcohol directly affects brain chemistry by altering levels of neurotransmitters emitted by brain. Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers that transmit the signals throughout the body, which control thought processes, behavior and emotion. For instance, alcohol suppresses the release of glutamate, an “excitatory” neurotransmitter, slowing down brain activity and energy levels. On the other hand, alcohol increases the “inhibitory” neurotransmitter GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid), which reduces energy and slows down your thought, speech and movement. Factors like how much and how fast a person drinks, and whether drugs such as marijuana have been taken will determine exactly how much brain activity slows down.

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Impressions ITC 2015

Alice Bouwland – the Netherlands

See you next year in Santa Barbara!

Alice Bouwland is the lady with the wonderful smile on the right (front)

Dear reader: sit down in an easy chair, relax for a while, take a few deep breaths and then imagine.

It is summertime; the sun is shining while a gentle breeze is cooling the Dutch summer heat cheerfully. You arrive by train in a city called The Hague. You start walking and looking around. Within a mile or so you pass by highly interesting examples of modern architecture, houses of parliament, the future palace of the king, three or four museums with pictures of the Golden Age of the country, the famous Peace Palace and last but not least many cozy streets packed with cafes and terraces, restaurants, bookshops and especially art-shops. Imagine … this is real!

Jim Colbert – USA

Report from a participant in the 2015 August Conference of ITC

Jim Colbert (r) attentively listening to Joop Smits

It’s fun to watch the Dutch on their bicycles. They go very fast. Everybody, young, old, look like they know where they are going, and the best way to get there. I suppose this is true throughout Europe, but I was in the Netherlands for the International Theosophy Conference.

The setting was a hotel – the Carlton Ambassador Hotel, with meals, rooms, and meeting facilities. It was pleasant, efficient, and well organized. Although important for comfort, it was not the setting that made the trip. It was the incredible warmth, graciousness, and love coming from the Theosophists attending.

Carolyn Dorrance – USA

Perspectives and Memories of the ITC Conference, 2015

Carolyn Dorrance, closely involved in organising ITC 2016 in Santa Barbara-California

If sitting quietly while listening to clear explanations of Theosophical teachings is a valued priority, then attending an ITC conference is a welcome experience. Such was the opportunity offered at this year’s ITC conference held in The Hague. Well organized and clearly focused on the theme of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky: ThroughDifferent Eyes with One Heart, the conference provided an authentic learning experience for students of Theosophy. Remarkable were the excellent synthetic talks that combined metaphysical foundations with practical obligations. Inspirational were the affirmations of the universality and boundless duration of the Theosophical movement. Inviting were the explorations of the occult dimensions of Theosophy. Hopeful were the talks on a vision of Theosophical ideas offering guidance for centuries to come. While unity was one important purpose of the conference, diversity was recognized. Representatives from the different “branches” of the mighty tree of the Theosophical teaching asked and responded to questions about how to study and teach Theosophy effectively now and into the future. One learned that unity among Theosophists was more obvious than diversity. The understanding of the mission of H.P.B. and what she taught was indeed shared.

Olga Omlin – USA

ITC twice

Krotona resident Olga Omlin reads greetings from Joy Mills

After my first trip to The Hague back in December 2014 visiting the Blavatskyhouse (TS-Point Loma) I was excited to plan another trip there. However, this time the main reason was to attend the International Theosophy Conference in The Hague. It was also an honor to give a talk among so many friends-Theosophists from different Theosophical groups from all over the world.

Jacques Mahnich – France

Naarden, The Hague – Fostering the Theosophical Heritage Transmission

Jacques Mahnich “on stage”

During the 19^th century, two Buddhist masters in Tibet – Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892), and Jamgön Kongtrül Lodro Taye (1813-1899)– witnessing that the various ways to transmit the Buddha’s message by the main schools of Tibetan Buddhism was plagued with dissensions and sterile quarrels, and that some important teachings of the traditions were almost extinct, they decided to launch a movement to re-unify the various streams of Tibetan Buddhism. It is called the Ri-Me movement, which aim was and still is to filter out the core message of the Buddha from the historical traditions (Sakya, Kagyu, Nyingma). And it was quite a challenge, based on the deepness and complexity of the subject. But it succeeded, and this tradition is well alive today, bringing a fresh, non-sectarian vision of the Tibetan Buddhism Tradition.

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Janet Lee – England

ITC 2015

Janet Lee, who had just arrived from England brings greetings

It was great to be back at the ITC again, this time in The Hague at the Carlton Ambassador Hotel, in the diplomatic district, an apt and very comfortable choice. 

As before the whole event was excellently run by a raft of volunteers, who set a high standard of hospitality, care and service. I arrived late from our TS in England Summer School and was concerned that I might have missed out, but need not have worried, as I was given such a very warm welcome: picked up at Schiphol, steered to supper and then on to the first evening event, which was full of Theosophists whom I feel I can now call my friends. The next day, I gave belated greetings from the Theosophical Society in England, which has only in the past two years begun to come out of a few years of isolation to link up with the rest of the Theosophical world. 

Sabine van Osta – Belgium

An Impression

Sabine van Osta, making her point in The Hague

If you wish to catch a glimpse of the real size of the Theosophical Society, in terms of direct descendants of the movement started by H.P. Blavatsky, Col. Olcott, William Quan Judge and others in 1875, then participating in the annual meetings of International Theosophy Conferences is the thing for you.

The 2015 edition held in The Hague in August was brilliantly organised by the sisters and brothers of the ISIS Foundation, under the guidance of the Board of ITC which counts among its members the vice-presidents Jan Nicolaas Kind (TS-Adyar) and Herman C. Vermeulen (TS-Point Loma) and president Eugene Jennings (ULT).

Tim Boyd – USA

Tim Boyd, International President TS-Adyar

In 1971 a man named Theodore Golas wrote a short book that went on to become an underground sensation. The setting for this phenomenon was in San Francisco just past the tumultuous peak of the 1960's. San Francisco had been a hub of activity throughout the decade and had developed into a little Mecca for the hippie and drug culture of the era. The contemporary mantras of “Peace and Love”, “Free Love”, and “Turn on, Tune in, Drop out” had attracted a population of young people pushing the boundaries of sexual and chemical norms. It was a mixed bag that included both intense darkness and light. By 1971 much of the social and cultural upheaval that characterized the period was waning, and many of the young people who had been such a driving force in the various powerful movements of the time were looking for sustainable avenues to channel their energies. Woodstock had come and gone. The Viet Nam war was winding down. The Civil Rights movement was losing focus. A cycle of prominent assassinations and bombings was ending. The flood of eastern holy men and women and gurus coming west was cresting. The promise of a chemically induced higher consciousness had degraded into addiction, broken lives, and legal repression. With so many currents of thought going on at the time, it would be difficult to identify a unifying theme. The buzzwords of the time were peace, equality, fairness, love, justice, and freedom.