Theos-Talk Archives (December 2006 Message tt00932)

 Carlos, I agree with your long and thoughtful assessment here. I feel that I am witnessing a slow and gradual metamorphoses, in myself, in you, and in the theosophical groups here represented, and especially in the theosophical movement as a unit. May 2007 find us growing more connected in Brotherhood with each other.
 
Marie
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: carlosaveline@terra.com.br
To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 3:05 PM
Subject: Theos-World Adyar Irrelevant?




Friends, 

It has been a recurrent temptation, for human groups,
to declare other groups irrelevant. 

Those theos-talkers who are not members of the Adyar 
TS might therefore say that Adyar "makes no difference",
or that it is dead, and so on. 

Sometimes even individuals declare that this or that 
group, or some individual, is irrelevant. 

This is not what the esoteric philosophy teaches. Theosophy 
says that every part of the universe is alive and relevant.
To deny the relevance of a human being, or of a human group,
is but the demonstration of the fact that one's mind has 
closed itself to life and to what could be called 
"otherness" -- the other. But I have to agree that it sounds 
comfortable to say that those who think different from us are 
unimportant, or are "finished", or are crazy, or inferior, 
and so on. 

Adyar TS's relevance to the movement as a whole is much 
greater than many would like it to be. I myself would
prefer a more diversified movement, but that does not prevent
me from accepting the facts. 

Right now, the Adyar TS may have some 30,000 members. 
If we put the Pasadena TS, the ULT, the Edmonton TS, and
the Point Loma groups all together -- how many students 
and theosophical workers can we have? Some 3,000? 
Some 5,000 or 7,000 perhaps? 

How many sincere and active individuals do not not belong 
to any group? 

Still, Adyar TS has the vast majority of theosophists. 

Allow me to make a parenthesis now. 

It is perhaps worthwhile to record at this point 
a funny thing involving the Letters from Masters. 
The so-called "Only Letter from the 
Maha-Chohan" in fact is not a Letter; it is not from 
the Maha-Chohan; and it is not the only one. 

It is not a letter; it is a report on a conversation. 
It is not from the Maha-Chohan; it was written by 
another Master who talked to the Maha-Chohan 
and made the report on the conversation. And it is 
not the only one; because there are at least two other
Letters from Masters which report on views given by 
the "Great Master". It is in one of these 
other reports -- which is published in the "Mahatma 
Letters" (I can bring the bibliographical reference 
here) -- that one reads that "the TS will never perish,
although individual branches will die". 

Of course, the expression "Theosophical Society" 
meant at the time "theosophical movement". The movement 
will never die. We should not think in corporative or 
bureaucratic terms.

But even so, the Adyar TS Movement cannot be easily 
declared "irrelevant" -- if we mean to be realistic 
in our assessment. 

One can say that the present tide is low for Adyar. 
That is true. But what about Blavatky / Judge groups? 
Are them all in a shining moment? 

The key to it is that the movement is but one at the 
occult level, if you take Adyar 'ritualistic appendixes' 
apart. The tide is essentially the same for theosophical
groups and lodges. 

Some parts of the movement have a much more authentic energy, 
which is far from perfect,though. 

Other parts have a much worse energy, which is not entirely 
useless and are definitely not all beyond recovery. But all 
parts of the Universe are united everywhere. Thhis is true
for our solar system, true for human mind -- and for the 
theosophical movement as well. 

As to the heresy of separativeness -- from which emerge 
such brilliant ideas as "Adyar is irrelevant",or "Pasadena 
TS is too small", or "the ULT is wrong in this or that",
or "the Edmonton Theosophical Society does not make much 
of a difference" -- it can find its nice phrases, yes, 
its would-be plausible slogans, but it is not effective. 

Nothing is irrelevant in life. 

Not even the heresy of separativeness is devoid of 
relevance. It is significant -- for the preservation
of our narrow-mindedness. It is decisive for enhancing the 
weakness of the movement. It greatly helps our mediocrity.
It makes our spiritual ignorance shine in a remarkable way. 

Things have a mysterious way to transmit themselves in this
unique, invisible fabric of thoughts ( both conscious and 
unconscious ) which makes and sustains the theosophical 
movement as a whole.

All major historical trends since the 1890s -- when 
outer fragmentation of the movement started -- have 
transmited themselves throughout the movement in an 
undeclared but effective way. Let's see a few examples. 

1) There is something essential in common between the ULT 
Declaration (1909) and G. de P.'s Fraternization Movement.

2) The editorial trend to get back to Masters/HPB 
literature (since the 1910s with the ULT and up to the 
end of B. de Zirkoff's life) had the cooperation of people
from different groups, and even where there was no outer 
cooperation, everyone tended to the same direction: back 
to the Source. The ULT was in the first origin of that 
impulse, which only later reached Adyar, and which Zirkoff
led and expressed at a bigger and more external dimension. 

3) Since the 1990s, a widely unconscious and unspoken but 
rather strong disappointment with the non-appearance of the
Individual Messenger who was waited for the period 1975-2000
has been,to my view, something important, though issuing its
influence under the surface. 

4) If you make a graphic ( a line ) of vitality for the 
Adyar TS in the period 1975-2006, you will see that the 
early 1990s lived the highest point of a definite attempt 
to renew its international leadership, an attempt led by 
Ms. Radha ; and then something went wrong perhaps. Pasadena
is renewing itself now. The ULT is going ahead quietly and
steadily. Edmonton TS seems OK. Other initiatives spread and 
flourish, like the movement in Russia. The whole movement
is renewing itself as the recent Russian experience 
exemplifies. Yet many workers felt that things got tougher 
from 2000-2001. But one might add: "much tougher, and much 
more worthwhile, too". 

5) The movement is in a low tide, perhaps; but it
is in the low tides that the higher ones are prepared. 

If I may close with something abstract, and speaking of 
tides, I will say that in the year 1975 Saturn, the Karma 
and Time Cycle master, was in about the same position 
as in 2004-2005. Its action is slow and gradual, but 
steady. 

Best regards, Carlos. 


 
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