1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?
My name is André LeBlanc, and I live in the city of Laval, near Montreal, where I was born. I have been a member of the Theosophical Society since 2012, but I have been studying Theosophy for about forty years.
1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?
Robert Béland, Val-David, from Québec, Canada. I have been a member since 1980.
Jan Nicolaas Kind -- Brazil
Once in a while there seems to surface an urge to “modify” the wording of our Three Objects. So, in order to determine if such a alteration makes any sense, let’s go over them:
These are the objects as officially adopted by the TS Adyar in 1896:
1. To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or colour.
2. To encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy and science.
3. To investigate unexplained laws of Nature and the powers latent in man.
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Dear Helma smiling, all in Orange, with her proud decoration
Helma Kuit, Michiel Haas’s wife, on April 27, was decorated by the Mayor of “Gooise Meren”, on behalf of Dutch King Willem Alexander. She became a member of the Order of Oranje Nassau.
[Note from the editor: In “Inner Experiences During the War and Flowers of Peace” you will find six personal and often touching accounts from our dear friends and fellow seekers in Ukraine. The short stories came to my desk in the English language. I decided to keep the editing to a minimum in order to stay as close as possible to what the writers tried to convey.]
Lavender: Mesmerizing lavender which is the ultimate peace flower. These flowers tend to bring peace and accord. The pretty flowers also symbolize serenity and strength along with ease. Lavender is a perfect flower for peace
My Inner Experience During the War
Svitlana Gavrylenko - Ukraine
My inner experience of the first day of the war was and still is very important to me. Early in the morning, I received a phone call that informed me about the beginning of the war. I was still asleep, and thus my consciousness was still on the border of two states, sleep and wakefulness. And this, as is known, gives the opportunity to communicate with one's own unconscious. Well, I was not surprised. Somewhere on the far periphery of consciousness, there were thoughts like: "Isn't this a dream? How can this be?", but the conscious dominant thoughts were such as: "This is a natural consequence of decades and centuries of deliberately inciting a certain atmosphere of enmity. It is an abscess that has ripened and must now burst through so that healing can take place through exacerbation."
Svitlana Gavrylenko – Ukraine
In the middle Svitlana, on her left Nancy Secrest and on her right Karolina Maria Kotkowsk (Hess). Photo was taken in Krakow, Poland during a trip to the birthplace of Nancy's grandparents. Karolina wrote dissertation about the history of TS in Poland
Dear Brothers and Sisters, it is a great privilege and honor for me to have this opportunity to address to you at the TOS Session of the 143 annual Convention.
First of all, I would like to point out that TOS efforts reflect the Theosophical Society's worldwide spiritual maturity and altruistic devotion, just like selfless devotion and service for the sake of common good is a measure of spiritual maturity and disciple qualification or efficacy of each individual aspirant, including each of the TS members.
Jan Nicolaas Kind – Brazil
My wife Terezinha, who headed the Inter-American Theosophical Federation for some years, once returned from a talk given in Assunção. the capital of Paraguay, and was met by tanks, military vehicles and hundreds of soldiers. Apparently a military coup was underway, civilians were told to stay indoors, a curfew was ordered, so Terezinha’s driver hurried to the member’s house where she was staying. She and her host remained locked up inside for at least 48 hours, anxiously listening to the radio for the latest updates. Television stations were off the air, while very noisy fighter jets were constantly flying over and planned talks had to be cancelled. The coup ultimately failed but it was quite an unpleasant experience.
1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?
My name is Vibhuti Goel, I am from India, got to know about the TS in 2005. After attending some meetings in Shankar Lodge, New Delhi, I became a member in 2007. So, I have been involved with the TS for almost 16 years now,
Jan Nicolaas Kind -- Brazil
Abraham Oron (photo) heads a small but active group of Theosophists in Israel. It is of the utmost importance that all those who are assembled in the TS worldwide and call themselves theosophists, are aware that many of our sisters and brothers work very hard for Theosophy in the well-known and war-torn regions of Ukraine and Israel for example, often under very difficult circumstances. I reached out to Abraham asking him to share some of his thoughts about the recent and tragic events. He wrote a short but important letter to me and I’ll share his note with all of you. As an introduction I have added a paragraph from Boris de Zirkoff’s sublime “On the Threshold of Tomorrow”, written in 1947. For the complete article, click HERE (jnk)
1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?
My name is Venkata Deepika Kotteda. I am an employee in Kotak Mahindra Life as a Financial Advisor. Born and brought-up in a cultural and heritage town Rajamahendravaram, Andhra Pradesh, India. Presently, living in Hyderabad, Telangana State, India. I am a member of the Theosophical Society, Rajamahendravaram Lodge since 2020.
1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?
I’m Wei Ling, based in Singapore. My journey with TS commenced in May 2019, prompted by my uncle’s wonderful encounter with the Singapore Theosophical Lodge. Following his suggestion, I became involved in the Lodge activities, driven by a desire to explore the depths of contemplative meditation.
1.What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?
My name is Bethan Vaughan, but most people call me Beth. My soul name – or rather the collective name for the beings who make up the human writing her answers in this interview – is Avina.