Theos-Talk Archives (January 2003 Message tt00477)

Dear Daniel,

Before responding to your recent message directed to me, I would like to pay
you a complement! I have found that your messages (to everyone) to be
consistently well thought out and well written. Your messages show a lot
of care for your readers, with plenty of quotes and links as appropriate.
In my view, you and your messages are a great asset to this forum.

In my last message, I tried to argue that it was somehow "fanatical" for
there to be this on-going verbal battle between some followers of HPB and
AAB. In your message to me, however, you gave examples on how HPB herself
used harsh language to denounce writings that she felt were distorted and
falsified. Fair enough. I agree that it is sometimes appropriate to
denounce writings that are felt to be distorted and falsified.

In every moment of our lives, I think that we have a basic choice: whether
to focus on issues that separate us from other people, or whether to focus
on issues that unite us with other people. In other words, our basic choice
is between love and fear. By choosing love, we can grow spiritually, bring
harmony to this forum, and help bring harmony to our world. Both HPB and
Bailey encouraged us to choose love rather than fear. Here are some quotes:

Blavatsky (Collected Writings, vol. 9) speaks of the aspirant's effort:
"His thoughts must be predominately fixed upon the heart, chasing therefrom
every hostile thought to any living being. It (the heart) must be full of
the feeling of its non-separateness from the rest of beings as from all in
Nature; otherwise no success can follow."

Bailey (Glamour) encourages the "Definite and sustained effort to sense the
Presence throughout the Universe in all forms and in all presentations of
truth."

Blavatsky (The Voice of the Silence) warns against "the great dire heresy of
separateness that weans thee from the rest."

Bailey (Problems of Humanity) says that "the great sin or heresy of
separateness ... is responsible for the entire range of human evil."

HPB conceived of a noble vision and purpose for the Theosophical Society,
which was perhaps too advanced for her time. That vision, as expressed in
The Key to Theosophy, was to "burst asunder iron fetters of creeds and
dogmas" leading to "the practical realisation of the Brotherhood of all
men." Although that vision may have been too advanced 125 years ago,
perhaps we can manifest that vision here, but only if people on this forum
wish to do so. To manifest that vision, we need to understand and be
hospitable to people who may be outside of our own narrow little idealogical
circle, exploring whether there are areas of common belief and endeavor.

Instead, the focus of the ongoing verbal war has been on issues that
separate us, rather than unite us, and it appears to have the effect of
driving the few Bailey supporters off this list. For example, Philip
Lindsay, in his last message, wrote: "more froth and blather - I am out of
here."

The members of this forum can decide its character: is it to be a place
where only readers of Blavatsky talk to each other? Or is it to be a place
that attempts to manifest HPB's noble vision and purpose?

Zack Lansdowne