All Blog Posts (1,130)

Theosophical Quarterly

I just put the index to this 35-volume (1903-1938) periodical online at scribd.com (below). Most would consider this New York based group "ultra-conservative." It formed around Ernest T. Hargrove (pres of Am. T.S. after Judge died) after he left Katerine Tingley's group. It included Hargrove, Charles Johnston, Julia and Archibald Keightley, C.A. Griscom and many others. There's 17 1/2 volumes online. (link)…

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Added by Mark R. Jaqua on October 30, 2009 at 1:07pm — No Comments

Khalil Gibran: Spirits Rebellious

Khalil Gibran : Spirits Rebellious

Khalil Gibran (1983-1931) is one of the most quoted prose poets, especially his 1923 work The Prophet. In The Prophet, we are told that Almustafa, a holy man, has been living in exile, in a city called Orphalese for twelve years. A ship is coming to take him home to the island of his birth. People gather and ask him for his final words of wisdom — on love, on work, on joy, on children. The book has become bedside reading for all those who… Continue

Added by Rene Wadlow on October 28, 2009 at 5:02am — 2 Comments

Moderator Give up meat to save the planet

Climate chief Lord Stern: give up meat to save the planet

Here is an interesting article. It looks like, meat eating may go out of fashion like smoking. It may take time. But eco concerned men and women may be at the forefront of the vegetarian movement.

Lord Stern, former chief economist of World Bank says:

People will need to consider turning vegetarian if the world is to conquer climate change, according to a leading authority on global warming.

He… Continue

Added by M K Ramadoss on October 26, 2009 at 8:59pm — 5 Comments

Analysis of New Age Currents: Book Review

Alice O. Howell

The Heavens Declare: Astrological Ages and the Evolution of Consciousness

(Wheaton, IL: Quest Books,2006, 281pp.)

There are a number of currents of thought which hold that humanity is coming to the end of an historical cycle and is entering into a new age with the start of the new millennium. The most widely spread of these currents of thought is a complex of ideas and practices known as the New Age or the Age of Aquarius. The contemporary New Age began as a… Continue

Added by Rene Wadlow on October 21, 2009 at 1:46pm — No Comments

Esoteric Groups and Political Currents: Book Review

Gary Lachman

Politics and the occult : the left, the right and the radically unseen

(Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 2008, 261pp.)

Gary Lachman has written a very useful and sober book on esoteric current in modern political thought — modern meaning here from the Protestant Reformation to the present. A sober book is necessary as the internet is filled with wild speculation about the role of the Illuminati on the political and financial system. The current meltdown of the banks… Continue

Added by Rene Wadlow on October 18, 2009 at 12:42pm — No Comments

Blavatsky's "The Durbar in Lahore" online

H.P. Blavatsky's "The Durbar in Lahore" was originally serialized in a Russian publication in 1881, and later translated and serialized in "The Theosophist" (uncopyrighted). This is my transcription and scans. This is the only book-length material of Blavatsky's that has never been published in book-form. Thanks to Paul Johnson on giving me a tip on it. Link:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/21184316/The-Durbar-in-Lahore-Blavatsky

Added by Mark R. Jaqua on October 18, 2009 at 6:23am — 4 Comments

The Founding Fathers and Astrology.

I saw Matt Lauer and Dan Brown discussing "The Lost Symbol" on NBC last night. They showed a painting of G. Washington in Masonic garb dedicating the cornerstone of the Capitol. Brown mentioned that it was the custom of the founding fathers to use astrology to select an auspicious time for the laying of the cornerstone of important buildings so that good things would happen in those buildings. Matt and Dan then poo pooed the idea. If astrology is true (and I think it is) it is part of how the… Continue

Added by leslie marlar on October 17, 2009 at 12:29pm — 3 Comments

Russian Magic: Book Review

I am pleased to post a review of a new Quest book which deals with the structure of Russian folk tales. The author does not follow the school of C.G. Jung to look at what psychological needs folk tales meet or what tales may tell us about the contents of the subconscience, but she looks at their structure and the way that they are used in Russian society today.

Cherry Gilchrist

Russian Magic: Living Folk Traditions of an Enchanted Landscape

(Wheaton, IL: Quest Books,… Continue

Added by Rene Wadlow on October 14, 2009 at 5:19pm — No Comments

Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama

Obama’s Nobel : A Hope Not Yet An Achievement

Rene Wadlow*

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population. Nobel Committee Statement

The five-person Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize Committee has chosen… Continue

Added by Rene Wadlow on October 10, 2009 at 6:04am — 1 Comment

.:in Honor of Gandhi:.

In honor of Mohandas' birth...… Continue

Added by Mary Magdalene on October 3, 2009 at 12:30am — 1 Comment

Moderator Joe gets recognized for his contribution and innovation

Congrats Joe. You are in a tough environment and the recognition speaks for itself. Keep up the good work. The tax season ends only on 10/15.

Added by M K Ramadoss on October 1, 2009 at 9:17am — No Comments

Spiritual fantasy; spirituality lifestyle or quest? harry potter; a buddhist...?

Online

On Katinka Hesselink Net

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Added by Katinka Hesselink on October 1, 2009 at 4:11am — No Comments

Silliest Quest Article Title Award

And this issues Silliest Quest Article Title Award goes to:

"How Death Changes Life:..."

Yes, death really does change one's life experience, there is no doubt about that and the change is often permanent.

Added by Charles Cosimano on September 30, 2009 at 10:45pm — 2 Comments

A Fiery Life

UNDERPINNING the universe is not gravity as taught today, but an electric vital power, according to Theosophy.

Notwithstanding, physicists are still stuck on gravity to support their “standard model”—that the weakest of forces rules the entire universe—about which, admittedly, they know not much.

Gravity is mathematically incompatible with the quantum laws that govern subatomic particles, and that “leaves 95 percent of the universe unexplained” writes Dennis… Continue

Added by Odin on September 28, 2009 at 12:33am — 1 Comment

Moderator New and Serious Problem Adyar is confronting

Dear Friends,

I just learnt about a new and serious problem Adyar is confronting. Here are the full details.

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The Tamil Nadu State Government is planning to build a 47 km elevated express way which will include parts of the Chennai coastline. The first studies show that around 14 fishing communities (kuppams) and over 560 families will be affected by the project. The proposed route includes the Adyar beach near the Theosophical Society's compound. The entire… Continue

Added by M K Ramadoss on September 27, 2009 at 12:44pm — 2 Comments

Moderator Krishnamurti's comments on Adyar

Krishnamurti’s Comments on Adyar

On Jan 7, 1924, Jiddu Krishnamurti wrote to the members of TS:

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It is essential for the individual member and for the Society that Adyar, as

a great spiritual center, should be maintained worthy and dignified. The

importance of this is so obvious that few can doubt it. Adyar is and always

has been, a spiritual oasis to which the weary traveller looks for comfort

and repose. Though it may not be the previlege of… Continue

Added by M K Ramadoss on September 22, 2009 at 7:55pm — No Comments

Theosophy or Psychological Religion

“Every man is a divinity in disguise, a god playing the fool.” —Emerson

I would have to say that trickery has been a major way that I have played the fool.

Not trying to trick other people. Not even trying to trick myself. The kind of trickery I am referring to is the attempt to cultivate "magical powers" or Siddhis. These are things like traveling anywhere at the speed of thought, controlling all bodily processes,… Continue

Added by Richard Ihle on September 22, 2009 at 3:30pm — 4 Comments

Moderator Krotona in the Ojai Valley - Vol IV - 1923-26 by Joseph E Ross - Brief Comments

Brief First Look - Krotona in the Ojai Valley - Vol IV - 1923-26 by Joseph E Ross - 2009. Self published.

ISBN: 978-0-925943-14-9

I just had a chance to browse through the book about the events and developments that took place around Krotona and leaders of Theosophical Society during 1923-1926. It has 464 pages of tightly packed very detailed material of great historical value and a must read for anyone interested in the history of Theosophical Society.

Even a cursory… Continue

Added by M K Ramadoss on September 21, 2009 at 9:25pm — No Comments

Moderator Some good news on Freemasonry

Dan Brown, whose book Da Vinci Code is a very popular one has written a new book The Lost Symbol. A recent comment on this might interest many theosophists. Here are some quotes:

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Freemasons await Dan Brown novel `The Lost Symbol'

Brown goes out of his way in "The Lost Symbol" to present the lodge as essentially benign and misunderstood. Masons are praised for their religious tolerance and their elaborate rituals are seen as no more unusual than those of… Continue

Added by M K Ramadoss on September 15, 2009 at 10:36am — 5 Comments

The challenges that face the Theosophical society Adyar

If the TS is going to move forward into the 21st century in a way that is of use to humanity, we’re going to have to face some real issues, instead of getting side tracked into personal complaints.

Real issues we’re facing:

* how to build community online in a way that is productive and helps people grow spiritually

* how to build community offline: help our lodges grow and be places of real study and a meeting place for people of diverse cultural and religious… Continue

Added by Katinka Hesselink on September 11, 2009 at 3:10pm — 3 Comments