Theos-Talk Archives (October 2008 Message tt00176)

This is a copy of an e-mail sent to TS Sections. It will be of 
interest to some site subscribers.

Dear Friends
 
I am attaching some comments on the future of TS from my perspective. 
They are taken directly out of my annual report which I am finalising 
at the moment for our national convention in New Zealand.
 
The comments refer to the New Zealand Section and also to the 
International Society. These comments reflect a majority thinking 
here in New Zealand. A new 'Fire in The Spirit' is igniting within a 
number of members here who are able to objectively view the present 
situation and clearly see a positive and uncluttered road ahead if 
the TS is prepared to step out boldly into the future. The Founders 
stepped out boldly and well outside their comfort zone. Our present 
comfort zones are a major hindrance to positive progress.
 
With fraternal greetings
 
Warwick Keys
National President
Theosophical Society in New Zealand

The Future:
We live in exciting ? turbulent ? challenging times. The way forward 
in almost every aspect of life is testing. We are offered multiple 
choices and we cannot always see where they lead. The decisions we 
make as a race, as communities, as groups and as individuals about 
our future direction have never been more important than they are at 
this time. I am sure that we are all aware of this on both a personal 
level and at a group level.
As individuals and as institutions and established groups we are at a 
crucial point in our history. The Theosophical Society both in New 
Zealand and internationally are not exempt from the gathering winds 
of change. We are facing rapidly changing and challenging conditions. 
In my talks with branches this last year I have said that we are 
barely treading water, nationally and internationally, and are in 
fact slowly sinking. I make no apology for saying this so starkly. 
It is time for the Society to start swimming. 
Change is not comfortable, particularly to those who are contented 
with the "way things have been done for many years." However, to bury 
our heads in the sand is not an option, particularly when the sand is 
shifting and reforming as the wind blows.
I am very aware that some members oppose the signals for change that 
the National Council is working with. At an International level the 
resistance to change is even more evident and entrenched. However, 
the status quo is no longer an option. It is a one-way ticket to 
extinction. If that sounds harsh it is meant to. 
At least in the Theosophical Society in New Zealand we have a 
democratic and participatory system of governance and administration. 
This is completely lacking at the international level and is the root 
cause of the present unrest in many Sections of the society 
worldwide. This and the determined resistance to change from those 
entrenched in the present system. 
As I have said so often around the country a key word for the Society 
at this time is `attachment.' We need to be able to step away from 
attachment to things, to structures and to methodologies that bind. I 
repeat yet again the words of the great Christian reformer Martin 
Luther long ago, "What ever your heart clings to and relies on is 
your god." He is talking about attachment to things, to places, to 
ideas, and to ways of doing things that cling to the past. 
Martin Luther's clear recognition of the `god' of attachment changed 
the course of Christian and Western history. The TS Founders were 
free from attachment. The `Fire in the Spirit' ? the `Fiery Heart' ? 
guided them and they knew and trusted in the process. A key question 
is ? Can the Theosophical Society in the twenty-first century as an 
organisation, nationally and Internationally, view itself with 
objective discernment and recognise the "god" of attachment for what 
it is? 
Can we put aside attachments to the past and move into the future 
with confidence, and with trust? The Founders did so.
Are we willing to become spiritual citizens of the twenty-first 
century, once again leading the way at the cutting edge of the new 
spiritual revolution now gathering form and momentum and ready to 
burst upon the world galvanising new visions of society, of 
spirituality, of personal self realisation and empowerment, and a new 
revelation of the Old Truths, the Ancient Wisdom? 

								
		Warwick Keys