Good News from Spain
Clarisa Elósegui Navarro – General Secretary of the Spanish Section
From 5 to 9 December 2009, we organized a Meditation Retreat, conducted by Miss Trân-Thi-Kim-Diêu, who is the President of the European Federation of National Societies. It took place at an inspiring retreat venue, in the midst of nature, at the foot of Montseny Mountain, approximately 60 km from Barcelona. This special gathering was attended by sixty-one people.
The retreat’s subject was the “Diagram of Meditation”, by HPB, and the “Sutra of the Heart”.
There were periods of profound, silent meditation and other moments where we walked inside and outside, in the garden. We went deeply into the meaning of each part of both the “Diagram of HPB” and the “Sutra of the Heart”, and into its meaning for each one of us and our lives.
The first retreat was held last May, this was the second one. The result was so positive and beneficial that, at the request of the participants, we are already planning a third one at the end of this year. Now we can carry on with the work of learning and practising meditation.
Amongst the attendants were the newly appointed General Secretary of the Dutch Section, Mrs. Els Rijneker and a member of her Executive Committee, Mrs. Loes Moreno. It was truly wonderful to have them as guests with us!
We thank Miss Kim-Dieu for her invaluable work in sharing her profound knowledge.
The Theosophical Order of Service seems to have the wind in its sails. After a year of upbeat and happy centennial celebrations around the world, it has moved into its second century of work with vigour and enthusiasm. The international secretary reports that the Plan of Action prepared in 2008 by Dorothy Bell after consultation with the members is proving valuable in guiding the organisation’s work. The two-monthly electronic newsletter and the website that were the first items of the Plan to be developed have generated a significant increase in interest in service work. The TOS in Tanzania, coordinated by Mrs Deepa Kapur, is now collaborating actively with the international team, and correspondence has started with fledgling groups in Portugal, Finland, Mexico and Hungary. A TOS start-up package, updated and expanded by Ananya Rajan, will shortly be available on the TOS’s website at 
The Theosophical Society is very fortunate to have some outstanding libraries. The ones in Adyar, Sydney, and Wheaton are well known to all, but there is another, probably lesser known, that certainly deserves our attention.
This past winter staff volunteers at Olcott, the national center for the Theosophical Society in America, in Wheaton Illinois, pitched in to prepare the auditorium for renovation, tackling the demolition phase with relish and enjoying the opportunity to shift roles and do some physical work instead of sitting at their desks. Every staff member contributed to the overall success of this project, and it was a great team-building exercise–coordinated by the maintenance department. Designed to make the space more welcoming and accessible for guests, the renovation included demolishing a large non-loadbearing post, ripping up old carpet, and tearing out the old fixed stage. Now the finished project sports new carpeting, improved 
audio visual equipment, a new moveable stage, and increased seating capacity. Funded through the contributions of many members for this purpose, the project brought new life to all the activities held in the renovated auditorium. Staff and visitors alike have been touched by the fresh and inspiring feel of the clean, expansive space. At first, many of the staff would walk up to the third floor every day or so just to be sure it was still there, and it is one of the first places to take visitors to see.
Can you imagine being a member of a country with over a hundred active TOS groups? Our Indian sisters and brothers can because they are members of one! Total individual membership of the TOS in India is over 6,000 and growing. The National Director, Mr Birendra Bhattacharyya, spends several months each year on the road visiting groups to oversee and support them in their activities. Even with a team of some 18 regional secretaries to help him, his hands are still very full.
The Golden Link School is now renamed Golden Link College with the opening of its modest college department with two course offerings: Bachelor of Secondary Education and Bachelor of Elementary Education. The first batch of college students consists of 12 freshmen and 7 sophomore students. Most of them have applied for scholarship grants as they mostly come from very poor families. There were many other applicants who applied but did not meet the minimum entrance qualifications of Golden Link.