It seems I can’t stop writing about theosophy, even now that I’m no longer a member of the TS Adyar. On facebook an African American theosophist asked me if I’d written ‘I’m no longer a member of the Theosophical Society‘. I replied in rather short terms that yes, that was me. I realized soon after [...]
Katinka Hesselink
This morning I revoked my membership of the Theosophical Society. Many of you will have seen this coming, of course. Since I’ve been so very visible a member, I think I owe you all something of an explanation. First off: my online work won’t change. I’ll still quote Blavatsky where it fits my topic, the [...]
I’m on a FPMT Tibetan Buddhist retreat working through Tsong Kapa’s stages of the path (Lam Rim). The text starts with respect for the teacher and it made me realize that one reason for my disappointment with the TS is that – lacking living teachers – I’ve treated the TS as a teacher. Since no [...]
Some of you have asked whether I will continue this blog. The answer is – I don’t expect to have much to say about the future of the Theosophical Society, or the Theosophical Movement, in future. However, this blog will remain open to people who want to express their vision about the present or future [...]
This is on a personal note. In hindsight I’ve felt stuck in the TS for years. I went to university to study world religion, because I was learned out in the TS. I went back after that, because it was (or felt like) my spiritual home. Now it feels stifling. Quiting that volunteer work, as I’ve [...]
An editor of our Dutch magazine ‘Theosofia’ told me once that theosophy was boring. She said it with a self-evident air, even while she clearly felt the magazine ought to be made… I was amazed: I had never considered theosophy boring. Having read all of Blavatsky’s work as well as biographies of the main theosophical [...]
Eric McBough’s presidency of the English section of the Theosophical Society brings many tabu topics in the TS to a head. One of them is money. Blavatsky had a horror of ‘salaried priests’ and was proud of not taking a penny of the TS money*. She lived off her (Russian) money and the generosity of [...]
As I write this, I have pretty much given up on the TS to be honest. I’ve minimized the volunteer work I do for the organisation and am looking into Buddhism and going back to university for my further spiritual and intellectual nourishment. However, that does not stop me from thinking about the TS and [...]
There used to be this rule that there was one president of the The Theosophical Society (Adyar): currently Radha Burnier, resident Adyar, Chennai / Madras, India. The national sections were headed not by presidents, but by ‘general secretaries’. However, perhaps because of something the General Council decided this winter, both the English and the American [...]
From the recently sent out ‘Theosophical Society Annual Report 2011 (TPEL)’ for the Theosophical Society in England (published here with permission): Tekels Park Estate: In October 2009 offers had been considered on a piece of land that had been held over for two years under an option agreement, which ended in August 09. During the [...]
