In Memoriam: Kurt Hanson (1973-2008)

I learned last week that Kurt Hanson, an old friend of several of us here, died on April 9th.

Read Full Post »

real life and the search for happiness

I’m wondering whether the search for happiness is at all a reasonable search. Don’t get me wrong, I want happiness as much as anyone. But sorrow is part of life, and facing sorrow and working through it (having a healthy cry for instance) works better than putting on a happy face.

Read Full Post »

One With Everything? An Atman Project

I’d like to start to working on the next video.  As it will be part of the series on the sevenfold constitution, it will focus on the principle of atman.
To that end, I invite your comments on the question, ‘What does it mean to be one with everything?’

Read Full Post »

blog for institutional issues

I have created another blog specifically for the discussion of institutional issues.
Please visit http://theosophicalsociety.wordpress.com/ to participate.

Read Full Post »

everyday ecstasy II

There are these moments, not infrequent, when the love that is flowing through me, that seeks its course in every direction my senses, mind and heart move, is so overwhelming, so whole, so present, pure and perfect, that a lifetime spent finding the words, the movements, the melody, the shape or the presence that can [...]

Read Full Post »

Communities & Generations

The other night I attended the finals for Chicago’s teen poetry slam “Louder Than a Bomb”. This was the 8th annual event which began in 2001 as a response to the impending war in Iraq. Feeling frustrated at their inability to influence national decision making and feeling unheard and left out of the process, these [...]

Read Full Post »

Radical Uniqueness

Two recent posts by Pablo and Katinka have addressed a similar idea.
I’d like to talk more about the idea of crucifying our material selves. Generally, I’m curious about the range of attitudes towards not only the physical body, but the embodied self, the personality, the ego (which also relates Katinka’s distinction between self-confidence and [...]

Read Full Post »

Self Confidence or Letting go of Self?

Psychologists, especially amateur psychologists, emphasize self confidence as a major predictor of success and happiness. On the other hand, spiritual traditions like Theosophy, Buddhism and Sufism stress the fact that our personalities are a major source of trouble and we should let them go.
Can those two views be connected? Sure they can. They target very [...]

Read Full Post »

Everyday Ecstasy

I live in Chicago where we have endured a particularly lengthy and brutal winter. Weeks and weeks of bitter cold and grey, unremitting winds that freeze the tears on your face. Today was the first real break. It would still feel cool to my southern family, maybe even to me in in [...]

Read Full Post »

Forgiveness

There is a discussion group that meets every Sunday night at Olcott, the National Headquarters of the Theosophical Society in America.

During a discussion last week, someone brought up forgiveness. This is one of those words we use frequently, but whose meaning is rarely explored. It occurred to me then that I didn’t really [...]

Read Full Post »