Theosophical News Blog

I’ve started another blog, this one for theosophical news.
It will be used for links to news articles that theosophists might find of interest.
Please email me if you would like to become a contributor, or if you just want me to post a link you’ve found.

Read Full Post »

The Meaning of Clairvoyance

When we hear the word “clairvoyance,” we often think of the ability to perceive objects and entities on planes of existence other than the physical. To Theosophists, the word may conjure images of thought forms, of the human aura, of devas and elementals, all of which surround us at every moment, invisible to most—save for [...]

Read Full Post »

Artificial Intelligence and Theosopy

The popular Matrix movie trilogy depicts a futuristic dystopia in which humanity is enslaved by intelligent machines, used as a power source while they live out virtual lives in a computer-generated world similar to the “real” world just pre-dating the takeover of the machines. What is not explored in great depth in the movies themselves [...]

Read Full Post »

We’re growing!

Just a quick note: With over 6,000 hits, we recently made WordPress’ list of Top 100 Growing Blogs!
This is a community effort, so thanks to everyone for checking in and adding comments.  Please keep doing so.  Check out the archives, click on tags and do searches.  There are already a great number of posts that [...]

Read Full Post »

best wishes to Govert

As you may know, our dear friend Govert Schuller is taking a sabbatical at Far Horizons and will be largely incommunicado for the next three months.  I have worked, studied, taught, drank, argued, eaten, walked and talked, talked and talked with Govert for many years now, and though I know these summer months will pass [...]

Read Full Post »

Theosophical Pecha Kucha **POSTPONED**

**UPDATE** The event for tonight, Thursday October 2nd 2008, has been canceled.  Too many of the people I originally hoped to participate will be unavailable.  We will try again at next year’s Theosofest (9/12/09). That should be enough time to make to really prepare!  We’ll also have a much bigger audience.  Thanks to everyone for [...]

Read Full Post »

Beyond Global Warming: Consciousness as the Ultimate Cause of Earth Changes

The following article is by a good friend of mine, Steve Larsen, and addresses the global warming phenomenon from a consciousness perspective that is quite Theosophical, if not, entirely so, and therefore is a great example of applying the truths of the Wisdom Tradition to current affairs. Govert

Read Full Post »

Betsy’s Guts

Caterpillars are cute. Typically, a creature with that many legs tends more to the creepy. Perhaps it is its furr(zz)iness that provokes ‘awws’ rather than ‘ewws’ and rescue rather than squashing, but equally compelling may be our our optimistic identification with this earth bound crawler’s destiny with the sky, its inevitable transformation into [...]

Read Full Post »

Are you being served?

I’m an unrepentant intellectual. I smile conspiratorially when I hear people critique Joseph Campbell for his claim that ‘underlining passages in books’ was his spiritual practice, and there are few things that inspire me like a well-phrased idea, polemics as play.
I felt the prickly parts of me bristle yesterday when Juliana Cesano told Govert [...]

Read Full Post »

theosophists having fun?! / Barbara Maria Stafford

We theosophists appear to be an earnest bunch.  I suppose a deep and abiding concern for spiritual evolution can lend one an air of seriousness.  However, we’re also a community bound by laughter, joy . . . and bubbles.

Read Full Post »

Pleasure vs. Enjoinment

We have been exploring different aspects of happiness, pleasure, suffering, etc., and I’d like to offer another perspective.

Read Full Post »

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 »

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 »