The Society

Editorial

Jan Nicolaas Kind – Brazil

Attentive readers must have noticed that in this third quarter issue of Theosophy Forward there is a lot of news about events that took place, or are going take place in the Netherlands. It is not just a coincidence, much is currently going on in the “lowlands” and it is good to take notice of that. Next to what currently is happening there, the country, small as it is, has always been very influential Theosophically speaking, just think of Theosophical scholars of world fame like Johan van Manen and Henk Spierenburg, or the painter Piet Mondrian, and what to think of the renowned architects J.L.M. Lauweriks and K.P.C. de Bazel. Recognizing the value of other beautiful places on earth however, your editor hereby solemnly pledges not to leave the rest of the world out, of course not, so do have a good look around in the third quarter issue and in future issues of your favorite Theosopical magazine.

Your editor solemnly pledges …

This year I spent most of the month of August in my home country, the Netherlands. It had been twelve months since I was there last. In 2014 it was a very short visit in order to participate in ITC 2014 in Naarden. On that occasion it was just the conference and after that I had to return to Brazil immediately, my second motherland. This time though I had the opportunity to stay a little longer and that gave me the opportunity to visit relatives, friends and the unavoidable “sights” in the city of my birth, beautiful Amsterdam. This city is like an always loyal lover; you can stay away from it for years, but as soon as you return to it, the city embraces you warmly as if you have never been away.

1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?

My name is Barbara Bradley Hebert. I am from the United States, specifically Covington, Louisiana. I have been an “official” member of the Theosophical Society since 1976; however, I am a third generation Theosophist, so I feel as if I have been a member all of my life!

1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?

Friends know me as Bob Fahey, though I write under my middle name, Edward. I joined the TS around 1972 when a hitchhiker passing through town, stayed at my place and left me a copy of Light on the Path. I was immediately and forever hooked after that.

1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?

My name is Jenny Baker. I live in South London where I was born. I joined the TSE in 1981.

On the photo you’ll see Mirva on the left, translating Tim Boyd during his most recent Finland tour.

1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?

My name is Mirva Jaatinen, I’m from Espoo, Finland and have been a member of the TS for 22 years.

1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?  

My name is Ralph Hannon. I was familiar with Theosophy back in the 1960s, but became a card carrying member in 1976. Shortly after that, I became a life member.

1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?

Hello, my name is Chong Sanne from Singapore. I am a relatively new member. I came across the TS in 1992 but only joined as a member in 1994.

Jan Nicolaas Kind – Brazil

Many are enthusiastic and encouraged because of the initiatives of ITC. (International Theosophy Conferences Inc.)

Obviously this relatively young organization still has a long way to go and perhaps not all are equally inspired; those active in ITC (its board, executive committee and its members) are certainly aware of that. In a way, Theosophists who might oppose ITC, or don’t understand or simply question its purposes, keep ITC alert. The organization ought to be thankful for that.

Some continue to repeat the trite mantra of “we are right and all others are wrong,” referring to those Theosophists who not only study Judge and H.P.B. but also find their way in the oeuvre of such authors as G. de Purucker, Geoffrey Barborka, Annie Besant, Katherine Tingley, Sri Krishna Prem, Sri Madhava Ashish, I. K. Taimni, and other Theosophical writers. Some still but erroneously maintain that many Theosophists have deliberately been kept ignorant of the fabulous works of William Quan Judge. This fiction has been around for many decades and has convinced many that it is factual. Once an idea, no matter how wrong, has been rooted so deeply, it is hard and painstaking to prove the opposite.

John Algeo – USA

Introduction:

Jan Nicolaas Kind – Brazil

John and I come a long way. I first met him and his wife Adele in Naarden at the International Theosophical Centre, in the mid-1990s when he was in the Netherlands to conduct a seminar on Senzar. At the time I volunteered as floor-manager during events, doing the sound and recordings, and in this capacity I worked with John. To be quite honest, I found that it wasn’t that easy to work with him. He was demanding, at times difficult to approach and it really took me a while to get used to the “Algeo-way” of doing things. Later, it must have been in 1998, my wife Terezinha and I participated in a gathering at Olcott in Wheaton of the Inter-American Theosophical Federation where I delivered a talk. John was the Federation’s vice-president and national president of the TSA. After my talk John immediately came up to congratulate me, but also made use of the occasion to make me aware of a couple pronunciation errors I had made along the way. I was shocked at first by his blunt and direct style, but thanked him nevertheless. I certainly had learned something. Through the years that followed, my bond with him was a bit uncertain. I never really knew what to think or how to properly deal with him.

It was not until 2007 that I got to know him better and discovered that my uncertainty towards him had a lot to do with myself. John was, and still is a perfectionist, and would expect the same from others working with him. The years 2007 and 2008 were rather turbulent for the TS-Adyar, and it was during that time that the apparent ice between us broke for good.

I discovered that John was actually a rather shy, sincere, and humble man with a profound knowledge of the teachings, always defending what he believed in, and his greatest capacity of all capacities was the gift of admitting a mistake! Throughout their marriage his wife Adele was his beacon, and it was touching to see how much he cared for her and looked after her after she had fallen seriously ill. We know that a difficult phase started for John after Adele had passed away, but it is clear that also on his own, in the autumn of his life, he tries hard to he make the best of things, ever active and always on the vanguard for what he believes in and stands for.

I owe John a lot and have learned much from him over the years. Occasionally when we correspond and Adele is mentioned he says: “Yes, of course I miss her, but I often talk with her in my dreams.”

1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?

I’m Leslie Price, from London, England, and I first joined the T.S in 1980.

1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?

My name is Lyn Trotman. I was born and raised in New York City (Borough of Queens) and continue to live there to this day. I have been a Theosophical member since 1993.

1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?

My name is John W. Sameluk. I am now living in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. I was born in Ontario, Canada, but emigrated at age ten to the west coast of the USA. I have been a member of the TSA-Adyar for about forty years.