Theosophy News Worldwide 4th Quarter 2019

This issue was published on 2020-01-07 or 4 years ago.

Editorial

Steven Otto

Dear friends of Theosophy,

with the lasst issue I carried on the series "Top 10 misbeliefs of theosophical scholars" and I put a poll below the article, so the outcome is: 60% agreed, that Not everything what happend to me is my own self-inflicted Karma and 40% disagreed and I still owe you a qoute, that "proof" this perception:

"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. Source: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, The Key to Theosophy (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1893), p. 90."

Today, with No. 3 of the misbeliefs, I deal with a wrong understanding of infinity.

Within The Press-Review outside the Movement one can find in this issue, as always, many interesting facts, f.e. with a huge impact (again) within the last quarter the exhibittion ‘Art & Theosophy at Lomaland’ in San Diego History Center which remindes on the glory days of the Theosophical Society Point Loma in Lomaland.

And now I wish you an interesting reading and a peaceful autumn. With kind regards from Germany

Steven Otto
Editor of Theosophy World News

Topic of the quarter

No. 03 of the top 10 misbeliefs of theosophical scholars: The infinit being

Once again I try to proximate a delusion with logic. One important requirement, that something can exist, is a shape, for a human it's body. The shape is it's 'boundary', whatever it is and if it would be infinite (literally and in regard to its expansion) or shapeless, it cannot exist, albeit whether this shape is visible for us or not. There is nothing and there can be nothing exist, that has no shape or limitation of its existence, therefore, an infinit being is a missbelief.

One could say: "And spiritual beings? We don't see they, but they exist." I would agree, but they exist not on this plane. On the plane they are exist, they need of course a shape to exist, f.e. the so called shells on the so called astral plane. But what's with thoughts, do it have a form, one could argue. I think we have here to differ in abstract and concrete things and it's not as easy as it sounds.

However, I'm talking about the infinit beeing and this, literal understand, as a beeing without any shape oder border, is not possible. The meaning of that within the theosophical teachings of HPB, in my opinion, is often that of a symbol. Or more exact, it should illustrate an abstract symbol (a symbol is not a being and is nothing that exists in that concrete way, it's abstract), often connected to space. And in regard to THE being, it should better see as something, that seems endless to us. This little word makes a huge difference.

For ancient people and it's limited knowledge, the solarsystem seemed infinit, but it isn't. The shape of it is at least the Heliosphere, which we cannot see with our physical eyes but nowdays with our scientific ones. For us and our knowledge, today, the whole universe or the being that represent that, SEEMS to be infinit, but literally it can't BE infinite, if we want to keep being logical (and in analogy, as above so below and vice versa).

What do you think?

An literally infinit being is not possible.

Choices

Press outside the movement about Theosophy


False Allegations


patheos.com

Magick IRL: Book Review – True Magic by Cyndi Brannen
True Magic combines the best of diverse esoteric, mystical, occult and spiritual perspectives to help you unleash your Inner Witch into SEVEN STEPS OF POWER. The seven energetic centers are explored using the chakra framework. The seven Hermetic principles are incorporated as are concepts from Theosophy.
read more

 

patheos.com

“Gnosticism”— a Rhetorical Term which has Come to Mean “Everything” and “Nothing”
Ordinary people were too involved in the everyday work and life of the world ever to have time for the study and training and discipline which were necessary; and, even if they had such time, there were many who were intellectually quite incapable of grasping and understanding the involved and elaborate mysteries of the theosophy. T
read more

 

thereader.mitpress.mit.edu

The 20th-Century Obelisk, From Imperialist Icon to Phallic Symbol
But sex is not the only association obelisks carried through the 20th century. They have become increasingly caught up in the mystical stew of theosophy, pagan revival, and the occult that has come together in the New Age movements of the last few decades.
read more

 

telegraph.co.uk

Cursed Britain by Thomas Waters review: taking the story of witchcraft up to the 21st century
Elements of witch-belief were absorbed into pseudo-sciences such as the theory of “animal magnetism”, and pseudo-doctrines such as theosophy, which were ...
read more

 

nytimes.com

Variety: Acrostic
I actually knew THEOSOPHY because it’s been advertised on the subway my whole life, and BIGFOOT, REUNIFY, LOITER, ETHER, ODETS, UFOS and KRISHNA off the bat. I was able to disqualify “sapphire” in favor of the other purple jewel, and BIGFOOT with a couple of hints.
read more

 

popdust.com

"The Witch," Lana Del Rey, and Satanic Feminism: The Trope of the Wicked Woman
Occult theosophists like Helena Blavatsky wrote sympathetically about the devil, counter-reading the Bible's fear of Satan as a way for the Bible to preach fear of all non-compliant "others."
read more

 


Art


classical-music.com

The best classical music book releases of 2019
This slim yet scholarly volume is truly an essential addition to Scriabin literature. The composer’s notebooks – covering virtually all his major works – are lucidly translated and richly annotated by pianist and scholar Simon Nicholls, who also includes a pithily informative biography, plenty of photographs, and a detailed account of the intellectual ferment from which Scriabin drew his ideas: a heady mix of Symbolism, philosophy, new theories on psychology, and the then influential teachings of Theosophy.
read more

 

hyperallergic.com

The Best Art Shows of the Decade
Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum: Following her graduation from art school in 1887, Hilma af Klint became an established Swedish painter who was deeply invested in spiritualism and theosophy. Between 1906 and 1915, she produced a series of abstractions, both biomorphic and geometric, to express these beliefs.
read more

 

nytimes.com

In Search of Hilma af Klint
While Erik af Klint had been close to his aunt, he knew nothing of her work or spiritual ideas, which Johan says included theosophy, Rosicrucianism, hermeticism ...
read more

 

californiadesertart.com/

Voyage: One Woman’s Journey with a Forgotten Agnes Pelton Painting
My Agnes Pelton journey began in the late 1970s in Santa Monica/Venice.
read more

 

Performing Arts Partners with Damonte Ranch High

tmcc.edu
TMCC Performing Arts student Nica Bird, who stars as Madame Blavatsky, Mary Wood, and a soldier’s mother, sees the play commenting on a basic human need to find hope in all situations “People were broken and hurt at the time and would cling to anything that would give them a little joy,” she said.
read more

 

sfreporter.com

Reawakening: Agnes Pelton at the New Mexico Museum of Art is an absolute must
Encounters with Agni Yoga masters and the Russian mystic and philosopher Helena Blavatsky (founder of a pantheistic philosophical-religious movement called theosophy) and her husband appear to have opened her eyes to the metaphysical and spiritual realms full-on decades before such things were commonplace.
read more

 

brooklynrail.org

Deb Sokolow: Profiles in Leadership // Drawings without words
n the second gallery, Sokolow withholds textual cues in If Madame Blavatsky Had Been an Architect and her other “Drawings without words.” In Madame Blavatsky, triangles, trapezoids, and elevation sketches in pinks, blacks, and emerald greens suggest the theosophist’s ostensible architectural creations.
read more

 

startribune.com

Best of the Week (Oct. 27-Nov. 3): BareBones Halloween, Alessia Cara, 'Notes From a Seance,' Rhiannon Giddens, Celine Dion, more
Infuse your Halloween with modern dance with Shapiro & Smith’s “Notes From a Séance,” inspired by late-19th-century Russian occultist Helena Blavatsky, played by the fabulous Laura Selle Virtucio. The charismatic seer dazzles a group of gullible followers with card readings, magic tricks and other spiritual trickery.
read more

 

californiadesertart.com

Lomaland, Pil-O-Rox, Diego Rivera, Transcendental Painting Group and More News
Art and Theosophy at Lomaland: You don’t have to labor through Helena Blavatsky’s tomes to get a taste for Theosophy, an esoteric belief system that inspired Agnes Pelton and so many others.
read more

 


Other


theconversation.com

Marianne Williamson and the religion of ‘spirituality’
These include Swedenborgism, Transcendentalism, Spiritualism, Mesmerism, Theosophy and New Thought, each of which — despite being relatively unknown to most people — have significantly shaped the “spiritual but not religious” tr
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philstar.com

Learning to live into old age well and gracefully
The late Flerida Romero, former Supreme Court Justice, stated in one of the Theosophy lectures she gave: “Now that I am retired, many still ask me to give speeches regarding law and justice. I have to turn them down for I prefer to speak about spiritual concerns instead.”
read more

 

apalachtimes.com

Bard new head of county libraries
He brings 13 years’ experience running libraries and 20 as an administrator. In 2000, he served as assistant operations manager for Quest Books at the Theosophical Society in Wheaton, Illinois where he helped run a boutique publishing business that specialized in esoteric, comparative religions, health and healing, theosophy, and related transformative spiritual topics.
read more

 

theprint.in/

Basava Premanand, the godman buster who challenged Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi
Premanand was born in February 1930 to a Hindu theosophist couple in Kozhikode, and his way of life was deeply inspired by the teachings of Helena Blavastsky. She was a Russian spiritualist and the co-founder of the Theosophical society, which promoted theosophy — a pantheistic philosophical-religious system.
read more

 

lareviewofbooks.org

The End of Oz: Reflections on the Centenary of L. Frank Baum’s Death
on the one hand, they taught him to trust in the intelligence and abilities of women, making him a long-time proponent of women’s rights; on the other hand, they encouraged him to explore the weird theosophical ramblings of Madame Blavatsky, especially her monumentally convoluted magnum-tedium of spiritual positivism, Isis Unveiled (1877).
read more

 

livemint.com

The Gandhi you know, and the one you don’t
Oddly reminiscent of NRIs today, Gandhi rediscovered Hinduism abroad, in London. His faith had largely been prescribed by custom—until he read Sir Edwin Arnold’s translation of the Gita, The Song Celestial. He later met Madame Blavatsky and Annie Besant, who inspired him to read more on Hinduism.
read more

 

goodtimes.sc

Kali Yuga—When Darkness is Seen: Risa’s Stars Oct. 16-2
GEMINI: You would do well to take up a study of the purpose of our solar system, reading Blavatsky’s Secret Doctrine. This is a large and in-depth study only entered into and comprehended through the lens of the Ageless Wisdom.
read more

 

mountaintimes.info

What Halloween is all about
Here’s a passage from “The Secret Doctrine” written by Helena Blavatsky: “Back in ancient times, the Pleiades were also referred to as the Atlantides, which gives us our first clue to their connection to Atlantis. Relative to our solar system they are said to be the source of electrical energy...
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in.news.yahoo.com

"Be the change that you want to see in the world", Gandhi's quotes that are still relevant
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the youngest child to an elite Indian couple, lived life on his terms. From being a rebel at an early age, he went on to become the flag bearer of non-violence in South Africa and India. He was an ardent reader of Tolstoy and Helena Blavatsky.
read more

 

conservativewoman.co.uk

It’s not unChristian to oppose too much immigration
One of the pioneers of modern New Age thinking was Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891), who co-founded the Theosophical Society. She described the aims of the Society as being: ‘to vindicate the importance of the Brahmanical, Buddhist and Zoroastrian philosophies . . . [and] to form the nucleus of a universal brotherhood of humanity without distinction of race, colour or creed’.
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boingboing.net

Phone call leads police to $800,000 in stolen art by an artist who believed Jesus was a space alien
Creme was born in Glasgow in 1922, and mid-career became linked to mid-century Theosophical mystics Alice Bailey, and Madame Blavatsky. He later became a New Age magazine publisher.
read more

 


Theosophical Society


sdnews.com

Lomaland remembered – artistic legacy exhibition opens in Balboa Park
High on the crest of Point Loma peninsula stand few remnants of Katherine Tingley’s curious musings, though her cultural benefaction is forever embedded in San Diego’s history. Welcome to Lomaland!
read more

 

sdentertainer.com

Lomaland’s Creative History Shines at the San Diego History Center
In 1897, Katherine Tingley established her utopian cultural and communal experiment, The Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society, nicknamed Lomaland, on a chaparral-covered ridge on San Diego’s Point Loma peninsula. Under Tingley’s leadership, this dusty, seaside plot of land was transformed into a lush, vibrant “White City” that became a center of learning, culture and social reform.
read more

 

sandiegouniontribune.com/

San Diego History Center exhibit takes a look at the ‘Art & Theosophy at Lomaland’
The idealistic community Katherine Tingley established before the turn of the 20th century, known as Lomaland, emphasized learning, culture and social reform
read more

 

timesofsandiego.com

Remembering the Artistic Legacy of San Diego’s Utopian Theosophical Community
A exhibition opening this week at the San Diego History Center explores the surprising artistic legacy and other achievements of the century-old Theosophical community on Point Loma.
read more

 

tribune.com.pk

Dr Annie Besant: A theosophical beacon who transformed Karachi
KARACHI: The spirit of Dr Annie Besant lingers on MA Jinnah Road, in the shadowy interiors of the Karachi Theosophical Society (KTS), which was founded by her in 1896.
read more

 


Theosophy


dailynews.lk

Mary Foster, Patron of Buddhism
On May 16, 1880, the American Henry Olcott and the Russian/American Helena Blavatsky arrived in Galle and in front of a crowd of thousands took the Five Precepts, an event that heralded the beginning of a realization that engagement with modernity was necessary if Buddhism was to survive.
read more

 

To be true, religion and philosophy must offer the solution of every problem. That the world is in such a bad condition morally is a conclusive evidence that none of its religions and philosophies--those of the civilized races less than any other--have ever possessed the TRUTH. The right and logical explanations on the subject of the problems of the great dual principles, right and wrong, good and evil, liberty and despotism, pain and pleasure, egotism and altruism, are as impossible to them now as they were 1880 years ago. They are as far from the solution as they ever were, but. . . . "To these there must be somewhere a consistent solution, and if our doctrines will show their competence to offer it, then the world will be the first one to confess, that ours must be the true philosophy, the true religion, the true light, which gives truth and nothing but the TRUTH. . . .

From the article "The Theosophical Society: Its Mission and Its Future" by H. P. Blavatsky, published in Lucifer, August 1888 and especially this paragraph HPB has quoted from the so-called "Maha Cohan Letter".

Upcoming events

European School of Theosophy

European School of Theosophy 2020
The Mystery of Consciousness, 12 to 17 October 2020 in Edinburgh, Scotland
more information in feb 2020

 

European Federation of the TS Adyar

The 39th European Congress in 2020
Healing oneself, healing the World, rearranged from 4 to 8 August 2020 to 2 to 7 August 2021 in York, England
more information

 

ITC

International Theosophy Confernce 2020
23 – 26 July, 2020Paraíso na Terra, Brasilia, Brazil
more information

 

News from Theosophical Societies

ULT London published it's ULT Quarterly Newsletter you can download here an register for here.

See also our video-section with two channels (TS Adyar, ULT Bethesda) which upload regulary interesting content from lectures and other content. There you can also find the TS Adyar Channel with all the videos (that where live-streamed) from the 144th International Convention, which is quite intersting for all TS Adyar members. You can also find there many new lecture-uplaods from the European School of Theosophy. EuST also announced a new international Magazine named Hermes, more about that in the Website-Section.

There is a new TOS Director in Spain, as TOS announced here.

TS Adyar Indian Section published the Annual Report 2018-19 and the Vishwa Bandhutwa of Marathi Theosophical Federation – Oct-Nov 2019

Bombay Theosophical Federation publsihes at the same site its Bombay Theosophical Bulletin October, November, December

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.

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, The Key to Theosophy (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1893), p. 90.

Theosophical Magazines

TS (Adyar) in America (USA)

Quest Magazine
Quarterly Magazine, some articles are free readable
publisher, Winter 2019

 

The TS Point Loma (TSPL)

Lucifer
publisher, 03/2019 (pdf)

 

TS (Adyar) in Australia

Theosophy in Australia Quarterly
Newsletter/Quarterly of the TS (Adyar) in Australia
publisher, November 2019 (pdf)

 

The TS (Pasadena) Australasian Section

Theosophy Downunder
Newsletter of the Theosophical Society (Pasadena) Australasian Section
publisher, December 2019 (pdf)

 

The Aquarian Theosophist

The Aquarian Theosophist
publisher, Oktober (pdf), November (pdf), ''Dezember (pdf)

 

United Lodge of Theosophists (ULT)

The Theosophical Movement Magazine
publisher, October (pdf), November (pdf), December (pdf)

 

The TS Adyar Indian Section

The Indian Theosophist Magazine
publisher, October (pdf), November (pdf), December (pdf)

 

New books

Inner Traditions
A Theology of Love by Richard Smoley (Editor of Quest: Journal of the Theosophical Society in America)

Articles from Theosophical sites

Hermes-Magazine.com



Theosophy Watch



Blavatsky News



Theosophy Forward



Montreal Theosophy Project



Theos Talk


Theos-talk has reincarnated at groups.io is now called Theosophy@groups.io You can join theosophy@groups.io (the successor group) and carry on discussions there. Anyone can join by sending a msg to: theosophy+subscribe@groups.io

The “Wisdom religion” is the inheritance of all the nations, the world over.

HPB, SD:1:xviii (Itroductory)

✴✴✴ The End  ✴✴✴

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