Theos-Talk Archives (March 2009 Message tt00639)

In Volume XII, no. 2, of Fohat, Ernest Pelletier detailed the expulsion of TS in Canada from the Adyar Society.  From a copy of the minutes and from reports from inside the meeting, Mr. Pelletier was able to attest that:

"Some of the members of the General Council of the Theosophical Society who met on January 1st, 1992 held a number of proxies for various national Societies.  Following the expulsion of TS in Canada, individuals across the country were contacted by international friends who expressed their regret at having granted a proxy on their behalf which thereby allowed a handful of Council members to vote to "dissociate" Canada.  Bill Johnstone, then General Secretary in New Zealand, was one of the first of these to telephone and express his distress regarding the situation."

Elsewhere in the article detailing the events running up to the expulsion, Mr. Pelletier writes:

"Members of Edmonton TS have always strived to associate with any and all theosophical organizations. . . One member of ETS . . . was also a member of the ES in the capacity of recording secretary.  He encouraged my wife and me to arrange to spend time at Camp Indralaya on Orcas Island to get acquainted with Canadian and American theosophists in the west who meet there in the summer.  During our second sojourn (1984) we were invited to visit Joan and Hank van Busekom at their residence.  Hank was a bishop in the Liberal Catholic Church.  Dorothy Abbenhouse, who resided on the Island with husband John; Virginia Hanson and Joy Mills, guest lecturers at Indralaya (from Ojai, CA); and other ES members were also present.  It became clear that this was a recruitment effort where we were encouraged to join the LCC and ES.  It was explained to us how being an ES'er brought one closer to the Masters and that it was from among the ES ranks that someone would be chosen as a vehicle should a Master require one in the outside world.  The invitation was declined.

The writer holds that as my wife and I were active members of Edmonton TS, my direct involvement with the national organization, TS in Canada, was perhaps anticipated.[ The writer was in fact on the Board of Directors of TS in Canada from 1989 to 1995.]  An ES member in such a capacity could potentially provide a source of influence for Adyar in the affairs of TS in Canada as all ES members take an oath of allegiance to the Outer Head to whom they owe their primary obedience.  Rejection of this overture extended by prominent officials of the Liberal Catholic Church and the Esoteric Section was likely disappointing.

Then in 1985 ETS initiated its republishing program.  Rare articles, pamphlets and books that Adyar had sought to destroy over the years were copied and distributed around the globe.  This caught the attention of the International Society.  Further, in 1987 it was arranged for Rex Dutta, an ex-member of both Adyar and the ES, to lecture in various cities across western Canada.  Joy Mills, who had previously turned down a number of invitations, quite unexpectedly offered to tour western Canada slightly in advance of Dutta's scheduled visit.  Dutta was not overly well received in one center in particular as a result of the negativity instilled just a few weeks prior to his arrival.  While in Edmonton she also stressed the futility of rekindling the fires of old historical controversies and recommended the republishing program be shut down.  Edmonton TS has the impression that its various undertakings were part of, if not one of the main reasons behind Adyar's expulsion of TS in Canada."

The point was that TS in Canada had always had an independent voice, and the last thing that certain members of the International Society wanted was that voice to interfere with future plans, I would suspect.  I doubt that Radha was in the loop on this, although she did nothing to stop it, but rather accepted the weak excuses offered by fellow board members, especially members of TS in America.  As is well known, TS in Canada was not the only Section to be expelled, there has been a pruning going on for some time.  A strong president in Adyar could still be a threat to the LCC and to ES power.  No doubt, there has been an effort for some time to put one of theirs in power.  This is probably what we saw during the last election.

The fact is politics is being played within the TS Adyar, and has been for a long time.  Members have been asleep assuming that all is well from their leaders.  There have been injustices that have been allowed to go unchallenged.  Why would anyone believe that there is anything left in the Adyar Society worth saving?  The Masters left Adyar with the expulsion of Blavatsky.  Any semblance of truth left with the death of Olcott.

Bruce


--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, MKR <mkr777@...> wrote:
>
> Can you please elaborate the circumstances of the excommn? It is also
> interesting that the same individuals had a role in trying to defeat Radha.
> Any info is welcome.
> 
> I still feel that much of the problems is due to the continued extreme
> secrecy of operations (Master KH warned in his 1900 letter) behind the
> scenes and as you are aware,  a small group came very close to seizing
> control of the president by secretly disenfranchising the members world-wide
> and but for its disclosure in Internet and world-wide outrage from members,
> we would have seen the beginning of the end of the TS in this incarnation.
> What was also most shocking is that none of the so called leaders who write,
> lecture and discuss about Truth, honesty etc., and perhaps meditate every
> day and aim at becoming chelas, came out and called the spade a spade.
> 
> MKR
> 
> On 3/29/09, robert_b_macd <robert.b.macdonald@...> wrote:
> 
> I do not belong to the Adyar Society anymore. I was part of an entire
> Section that was excommunicated on the whim of one or two Adyar officials in
> possession of proxies from many countries which they dishonestly used to
> achieve their own political ends. Bravo to these wise stewards of Theosophy.
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>