Dear friends of Theosophy,
via different channels the message arrived, that a never before published Blavatsky letter (property of the Harvard Andover Theological Library in Boston, Mass.) will be available for the first time in the journal Theosophical History (September Issue?, $20), It's a kind of sensation, isn't it?
Let me add some information from Mr. Jerry Hejka-Ekins:
The 36 page letter, written by H.P. Blavatsky in 1887 was to a Mr. J. Ralston Skinner, the author of the Key to the Hebrew-Egyptian Mystery in the Source of Measures. It is one of Blavatsky’s longest letters, and one of a very few she wrote that expounds upon Theosophical teachings in depth and offers deeper insights into her seven keys to the mystery language, discussed in the Secret Doctrine." For more information visit: www.theohistory.org (but seems not updated since years?)
The Theme of the Quarter in this issue is the ITC 2016 but like in every issue, we have also a wide range on news from Theosophical Societies and Theosophy-Blogs.
What Gene Wilder, Steve Martin, the creator of The Jungle Book and Mary Popins have to do with Theosophy and other interesting news, you can read in the section that deals with news from none-theosophical sites. And don't overlook the Magazine- and Event-Sections on the right sidebar.
Further, I'll encourage you, that, if you have interesting news, which are important for the movement, send it to me and I'll publish it here within the next issue of Theosophy World News.
And know I wish you an interesting reading and a peaceful autumn.
With kind regards from Germany
Steven Otto
Editor of Theosophy World News
You will find the following sections below:
Topic of the quarter | Upcoming (int. or nationwide) events | News from Theosophical Societies | Articles from Theosophical sites | Theosophical Magazines | Press about Theosophy | Twitter | Facebook | Videos | New Books | Letter to the editor | Comments
The anual International Theosophy Conferences (ITC) is a platform where Theosophical organizations and all other earnest students of Theosophy can meet.
This year ITC was like an expansion of consciousness and a deeper vision of the theosophical work we all are called to do. There was an evident atmosphere of cooperation and genuine interest in one another. It was delightful to be able to participate in a variety of study circles, exchanging different views and ideas with fellow-Theosophists in the spirit of Brotherhood (said Olga Omlin on Theosophy Forward about ITC16).
You can read a first short review of the International Theosophy Conference 2016 which was held in Santa Barbara, from August 11-14 with the theme "Theosophy and Social Responsibility. Applying the Head and Heart Teachings of H. P. Blavatsky" on the ITC Newsletter Autumn 2016. There is also a call for Volunteers for the ITC website.
On Theosophy Forward you can see some photos and read some reports from participants, from Kate Blalack , Olga Omlin and Jonathan Colbert.
From Jerry via theos-talk we learn:
New to this conference was the use of “study circles", each limited to twelve participants, who shared from their own experience the practical application of Theosophy. Topics of this nature included: “Our Responsibility to Children”; “Non-Violance in Action”; “Transforming Alienation into Brotherhood”; “Theosophical Approaches to Reducing Suffering and Poverty.” This shift from theory to practical application allowed for common ground among the very different orientations among the Theosophical traditions.
You can watch all lectures, that were streamed live via the web, held on the ITC, on this Site: http://livestream.com/blavatskyhouse (Really great effort, thanks).
If you have an Idea, where the next International Theosophy Conference should be hosted or what you think, what the theme of the ITC 2017 should be, you can write to the ITC Secretary (e-mail within the ITC Autumn-Newsletter).
Website of ITC: www.theosconf.org
I think this International Meeting of Theosophits from all over the world across the "borders" between different traditions of Theosophy is a very good effort in the movement and I wish a still growing success.
A visit of on of the next ITCs is on my to do list and should be also on other Theosophists to do list, if not happened so far :)
The Sunday Times published an article about Manisha Gunasekera, held a lecutre about "Tradition, modernity and elite formation: How Western theosophists shaped modern Sri Lanka". The Full Text of the lecutre is given there.
There was a nice article published in The Hindu about H.P. Blavatskys life, a short article about Annie Besant written by a historian in the New Historian and also about Bahman Pestonji Wadia in the India Times and about Krishnamurti in the patheos blog.
The Red Dirt Report explains, that the british writer Rudyard Kipling, who published originally The Jungle Book, met formerly Madame Blavatsky in India but his fahter considered HPB as an imposter. At Langaeb we can find an article about Anagarika Dharmapala, whose 152nd birth anniversary was on 17th of September, who also met Madame Blavatsky.
There is some publicity about Taormina (Califorina), which Ojai City Council named as its first historic district, that was created in the 1960s and 1970s by members of the Theosophy movement. The Venture Country Star reported twice about it, here and here.
We already reported in one of our last issues about an exhibition of the Canadian painter Lawren Harris promoted from the Hoolywod actor Steve Martin and further articles about it where published, f.e. in the National Post here or in The Varsitiy here
In the Washington Post Theosophy and Madame Blavatsky was mentioned in relation to Gray Lachman. He has published critical studies of f.e. Blavatsky and Swedenborg.
Some articles about the swedish artist and former member of Theosophical Society Hilma af Klint were published, f.e. here, because of an exhibition with her paintigs in Manhatten NY in September. Also Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn (1881–1962) was part of this exhibition and she was also a theosophy-inspirated artist, as Hyperallergic writes. It was also a major retrospective of artist Georgia O’Keeffe’s, inspired from Hilma af Klint and Theosophy, at the Tate Modern in London, as The Independet wrote.
In the BBC Music Magazin we can read about the Theosophy inspirated classical Musican Gustav Holst and it's famous "Planets Suite" from 1918. Even if I don't think Frank Zappa was a Theosophist it seems he at least has a Theosophy, whatever this means here. Seems that also the creator of "Mary Poppins", Pamela Travers, has an influence of Theosophy (not really sure what it means here too) in his life, as The National reported.
In The Weekend Australien we can read, that Theosophy took major part of spiritual renewal in the first years of the 20th century. A historical review at BBC History Magazine of Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun means, that Theosophy, is an "occult attempt to reach spiritual enlightenment partially inspired by the spiritual forces or “elementals” of the ancient Egyptian", useless to say, that Theosophy is not inspired by elementals.
As part of the annual Esoteric Book Conference Theosophy was mentioned in the Seattle Weekly.
Also the artist Collie Ryan, that lives an interesting life in Terlingua, seems to be a Theosophist, as she describes it as "a catch-all name for the wisdom that's been collected over the ages". And from Philstar we can learn, that also Supreme Court Justice can become a Theosophist, see here.
Naji.com quoted HPB in the article "What are the most adorable love quotes for couples".
Often Theosophy is false pictures, two more examples you can find here:
In the Daily Mail we learn, that Gene Wilders aunt was a theosophist and that his involvement in Theosophy "recipitated a sudden and intense obsession with praying" (but Theosophy distant prayers) "gripped him for almost a decade and Wilder later diagnosed it as a sign of obsessive compulsive disorder".
An article about the Roerichs and therfore also Blavatsky can be found at Atlas-Obscura.
If the ʺspirit,ʺ or the divine portion of the soul, is preëxistent as a distinct being from all eternity, as Origen, Synesius and other Christian fathers and philosophers taught, and if it is the same, and nothing more than the metaphysically‐objective soul, how can it be otherwise than eternal? And what matters it in such a case, whether man leads an animal or a pure life, if, do what he may, he can never lose his individuality? This doctrine is as pernicious in its consequences as that of vicarious atonement. Had the latter dogma, in company with the false idea that we are all immortal, been demonstrated to the world in its true light, humanity would have been bettered by its propagation.
EFTS - European Federation of the TS Adyar
TS (Adyar) Australia
TS Adyar
TS Adyar
Indo-Pacific Federation
European School of Theosophy
A new team has been elected in the recent Annual General Body meeting of the Blavatsky Lodge Mumbai, part of Bombay Theosophical Federation, as Mr. Arni Narendran reported via e-mail:
The lodge is the fifth oldest in the world was founded by Madam Blavatsky and Col. Ollcott through a covenant signed by them in the year 1880. [...] The foundation stone of the Lodge was laid by Dr. George Arundale and many prominent Theosophists including past presidents Bro John Coats, Sister Radha Burnier and present President Bro Tim Boyd have graced the Lodge. Many local stalwarts like Bro Jalbhai have served the Lodge for decades with. Here you can see a picture of the new team (from left sitting- Bro Arni Narendran , Hon Treasurer, Bro Navin Kumar -Vice President, Sr. Kashmira Khambatta - President, Sr. Jasmine Cawasji-Hon Secretary and standing is the joint Secretary Sister Navaz Dhalla).
TS Adyar in England relaunched its Website under theosophicalsociety.org.uk, with some interesting national events.
TS Pasadena British Section published a new issue of its Compas Newsletter Summer 2016 No. 32 There, the two volumes Secret Doctrine References is now available online to view free and you can also order Newsletters from TS Pasadena Sections in Australia, Holland, South America and the USA via e-mail (see the contact below the newsletter).
TS Blavatskyhouse The Hague published it's new Pulbic Lecutres Folder
The first European Day was held on 4th September at the ITC, that is "intended to provide for members of the TS Adyar the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with the President Tim Boyd". Two more Videos on the presidents diary were published from TS Adyar in America which you can see here (the latest is blocked in Youtube-Germany because of a music-right-issue). TS Adyar America had also several lectures of the recent National Annual Convention published on youtube.
Also the TS South Africa relaunched its website also with a blog section.
The Singapore Lodge of TS Adyar published its Newsletter with two article, Remembering Annie Besant and Esoteric Glimpses of The Lord Buddha, to have a look, follow this link.
The TS New Zealand publishes some news, an article from Trân-Thi-Kim-Diêu named "I am the Path, the Truth and the Life", from Linda Oliveira named "The Dawning of Self-Illumination", from Pedro Oliveira named The TS Team, from Dorothy Bell, named "On the Equality of Men and Women" and also from Tim Boyd, named "QUESTIONS, UNFOLDMENT and EVOLUTION".
The TS (Pasadena) Australasian Section published its September issue of its newsletter, here the index:
A Jar, Some Golf Balls, Pebbles, Sand ... and Two Cups of Coffee! Some Famous Westerners Speak on Reincarnation. News. Western Esotericism: Part 3: The Western Esoteric Tradition – Nivard Vas. Book Reviews: Two new books on Australian Aboriginal healing and spirituality – reviewed by Elizabeth Lovett. Mysteries of Music: Part 1: Music and Healing – Andrew Rooke. Letters to the Editor: The Transition to ‘The Age of Aquarius’. Co-Workers with Buddha – Nicholas C. Weeks
There was/are some discussions about TS Adyar on Theos-Talk about wild guess the Renovation of Adyar Buildings in regard to the supposed long term plans of TS Adyar (Mr. Kind recommended at Theosophy Forward Facebook Site to read the official project plan of Adyar Renovation for mote substantiate information) and also the topic of mass revocations of members in the Indian Section is still a discussed issue, that gives us some Adyar-insightes, also here and here with some facts about the role of Co-Freemasonry and the Esoteric Section in the head of TS Adyar. There are some new information about the investigation of the collpased constructed roof of the Adyar Theatre and some more speculations of the "Saga of Rs. 8 million given away from Adyar to Indian Section" and a short summary of all here
It was published a Reply at blavatskytheosophy.com to an article of the April 2016 issue of “The Theosophist”, the monthly magazine of “The Theosophical Society – Adyar,” titled “Theosophy Undefined” written by Rafael Marques de Albuquerque, a member of that Society. If we believe the author of the reply, "there is concern about the article amongst some Adyar Society members as well as those of other Theosophical groups" and as it looks, also within the ULT.
Devachan is the idealized continuation of the terrestrial life just left behind, a period of retributive adjustment, and a reward for unmerited wrongs and sufferings undergone in that special life.
TheAquarianTheosophist.com
The TS Adyar Indian Section
United Lodge of Theosophists (ULT)
The TS (Pasadena) Australasian Section
C V K Maithreya
Sons of Fire
After I published the first part of my book, that presented a tenfold system with a criticism of modern science and some alternative approaches to combine Theosophy and exact science in seven short parts, I started to publish the introduction of the book with two more articles, that deals with the Absolute and the Unrevealed.
Universal Theosophy
Theosophy Watch
Theosophy Forward
Blavatsky Theosophy UK
Book of Dzyan Research
The function of Theosophists is to open men's hearts and understandings to charity, justice, and generosity, attributes which belong specifically to the human kingdom and are natural to man when he has developed the qualities of a human being. Theosophy teaches the animal-man to be a human-man; and when people have learnt to think and feel as truly human beings should feel and think, they will act humanely, and works of charity, justice, and generosity will be done spontaneously by all.
