Theos-Talk Archives (September 2003 Message tt00219)

Hi Leon and all of you,


Thanks. That also covers my views on thet issue very well.


from
M. Sufilight with peace and love...


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <leonmaurer@aol.com>
To: <undisclosed-recipients:>
Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2003 9:37 AM
Subject: Theos-World Re: On the way "anonymity" and "impersonality" is being
discussed


> BTW, with regard to this anonymity discussion and that about Mr. Wadia,
the
> following may be of interest.
>
> Some 30 years ago in the NY Lodge of ULT, I remember hearing a lecture on
> reincarnation by Mrs. Wadia -- who was introduced by Joe Pope to all the
> associates by name before she went on the platform.
>
> Also, everyone knew the real names of the "elders" (we called them "old
> timers") who were lecturing at that time, and we even introduced newcomers
to them
> before and after the lectures. Or, Joe Pope, Boris Kinsburg and other
> lecturers sometimes greeted them and gave out their personal names when
newcomers
> came in accompanied by an associate. Naturally, some who weren't so
introduced,
> didn't know the names of the lecturers -- since it was never announced in
the
> monthly bulletin's program list or in the newspaper advertisements, or
when
> they wrote articles for Theosophy Magazine.
>
> The only other time I remember Joe Pope and Anita Atkins practicing
anonymity
> by using pseudonyms was when they edited or wrote their books under the
names
> Joseph Head and Sylvia Cranston. Years later when another, much younger
> theosophist wrote a book on reincarnation with Cranston, she also used a
> pseudonym. Actually, I don't think that mattered much, since no one knew
who she was
> anyway. But, maybe, since she had a worldly career, it might not have
been
> wise to spread around to her clients, some of whom might have prejudices,
that
> she was a theosophist. :-)
>
> At another time, I arranged a lecture entitled "Reincarnation in the
Kabbala"
> by one of the ULT old timers at my partner's synagogue's special
> congregational meeting in Long Island... Where the lecturer was introduced
by name and as
> a Theosophist and Buddhist before being called to the lectern. He was
also
> listed by name in the invitational program, which my partner and I
prepared at
> our design studio. Anonymity was no problem since none of the audience
knew
> anything about the background of the Lecturer, other than his affiliation
with
> theosophy and Buddhism. BTW, the lecture was a great success and all
questions
> were answered to everyone's satisfaction. My partner, who was a skeptic
> before that, eventually began to study theosophy, as did some of the other
members
> of that congregation.
>
> Does this say something about how rigid ULT is in enforcing the idea of
> anonymity -- that, in essence, was only a suggestion by Mr. Crosby? And,
I'm sure
> he understood that applying it by free and independent associates working
> under no rules or regulations, and guided by the Declaration, would
certainly
> depend upon both time and circumstances, as well as the nature of the
audience
> they were speaking or writing to. Didn't Mr. Judge sometimes use
pseudonyms in
> his writings that subtly projected the inference that the writer was a
wise
> Irishman, or an ancient sage? Perhaps, the whole idea of anonymity spoken
of by
> Mr. Crosby is something that was intended to be left solely to the
discretion
> of the individual teacher or promulgator of theosophy, and not to be
thought
> of as a cut in stone rule of the ULT. In any event, that's the way I see
it.
>
> Lenny (a.k.a. LHM or Leon - which is an abbreviation of Leonardo)
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>