Ali Ritsema – the Netherlands
Ali Ritsema, a great soul, sincere seeker, a wonderful friend ....
When we want to go 'beyond' something, first of all we must find out what we want to go 'beyond'. In this case, it is 'language'. The Oxford Dictionary gives explanations, such as 'language is a vocabulary and way of using it in one or more countries'; it is a 'method of expression'; it is 'words and their use; faculty of speech'.
Barbara Hebert – USA
Barbara Hebert and ... Jasmine
I had the joy of babysitting for my youngest granddaughter recently. Jasmine is almost a year old and is learning to walk. She pulls herself up on a piece of furniture and when she feels steady, she lets go. Eventually, she takes a step, swaying as she tries to maintain her balance. On occasion, she finds that balance and takes another step. At other times, she plops down onto the floor, and the process begins again. My role in this process was to cheer and clap for her when she successfully took a step or so and to encourage her to try again when she fell.
Jan Nicolaas Kind – Brazil
All through the twelve years of its existence, Theosophy Forward the e-Magazine has endorsed the idea of Theosophical unity through dialogue. During the time of my involvement with International Theosophy Conferences (ITC), this particular thought, “Theosophical Unity,” was often an important subject during ITC’s many conferences.
Your editor here in the middle making a funny face, with on his right Gene Jennings (ULT) and Herman C. Vermeulen (TS Point Loma) and on his left Danson Kiplagat and Carolyn Dorrance (both from the ULT Santa Barbara, Cal.) A diverse group of seekers. Photo taken during an ITC gathering in The Hague, the Netherlands
Pedro Oliveira – Australia
The author with on his right Patrizia Calvi from Italy and on his left Linda Oliveira, his wife. Photo taken at the Adyar Theatre
Shortly after the death of Madame Blavatsky, in 1891, her group of students in London naturally dispersed, as she had not appointed a successor to continue her work as a teacher of Esoteric Philosophy. Several of them continued to work for the Theosophical Society with headquarters at Adyar, India, while others decided to follow William Q. Judge, after the secession of the then American Section from the Parent Society in 1895.
It is only natural and human that those who had the great privilege of studying and working with a person like HPB developed not only a great affection for her but also a deep sense of loyalty to her and to her work. After all, she was the embodiment of living Theosophy, that spirit of utter self-sacrifice in the service of humanity as well as of profound wisdom and insight, while at the same time she was vitally human, as her short temper and emotional reactions fully demonstrated.
Radha Burnier (née Radha Sri Ram) (November 15, 1923 – October 31, 2013)
This wonderful photo was taken on January 22, 2013 © Richard Dvořák
India remembers Annie Besant as the fiery Englishwoman, orator par excellence, Theosophist and advocate of Home Rule, who settled in India in 1893 until her death in 1933. Not many in India know of the pre-India period of Annie Besant's life, of her long association with and espousal of socialism, atheism, and workers' and women's rights; her courage and intellectual fortitude in the face of opposition by Victorian society; and the leadership qualities she displayed in what was very much a man's world.
Annie Besant
Radha Burnier was the seventh International President of the Theosophical Society in Adyar, Chennai. Her parents were active in the Theosophical Society and she developed an early interest in Theosophy, which according to her "is a universal view, not conditioned by race or ethnic origin which in general advocates a very considerate and compassionate view of all kinds of life, plant or animal..."
She took her university degree in Sanskrit literature, English literature and Indian history from the Banaras Hindu University. She was Director of the Adyar Library and Research Centre and General Secretary of the Indian section of the Theosophical Society for a number of years.
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