Theos-Talk Archives (September 1995 Message tl00475)

Since disclosing my membership in the "outlaw" Boston Lodge, I received two
questions:

Liesel:
L>Glad to hear that Boston is alive & well. Do you know what
L>happened to Lou DeLucca? He came down to speak to our lodge
L>once & i thought he was quite knowledgeable. But then he
L>disappeared.

I have been associated with the Boston Lodge during only the past 4 years; I
have not met Lou DeLucca and do not know where he is.

Rich:
R> To be honest, though,
R>the Arlington T.S. (The old Besant Lodge) is not called "The Theosophical
R>Society in Boston" but rather "of Boston."

According to the official stationery, the full name of the lodge is now:
 "The Theosophical Society in Boston, Besant Lodge, Inc." It is not a very
good name since the lodge is now located in Arlington.

R>IIt is not a branch of Wheaton any
R>longer. You are a member-at-large of Wheaton, are you not? The Arlington
R>branch has no official connection to the Wheaton HQ or the greater
R>Theosophical Society in America, and thus exists as an independent
R>organization pursuing not only HPB but also Bailey, Agni Yoga, etc.

That is correct.

R>When I was there, very little emphasis was placed on study groups. I
offered
R>the only one, on the Secret Doctrine, and there were all of 3 members,
R>including me. Most all the emphasis was on the "festivals" where palm
R>reading, tarot cards, auras and channeling were the attractions. There
were
R>also high holidays (Easter and Wesak among others) and observations of the
R>full and new moon. Also lectures on extra-terrestials, etc. This was what
R>caused the rift with Wheaton, that very little of the core Theosophical
R>teachings were being studied, and the lawsuit was brought on by the
Regional
R>Director of New England, one of the 9 members of Wheaton's top council.

R>Please correct me if my memory serves me wrong.

Your memory is pretty good but some clarifications are in order. The purpose
of the monthly (largely psychic) festivals was simply to raise money during
the dark days of the expensive lawsuit initiated by Wheaton. During that
time, the T.S. in Boston hired a first-rate lawyer, contested the lawsuit in
court, and eventually won! There were no monthly festivals prior to the
lawsuit while I was a member of the lodge, there have been no festivals
during the past year following the lodge's victory, and there are no plans to
hold more festivals in the future. In my opinion, the lawsuit was fought
over the issue of money: who would control the proceeds gained from the sale
of the old building to Boston University. There has been a Secret Doctrine
class during the past year at the T.S. in Boston, and it included people from
your old group. Although I can think of at least five serious students of
the Secret Doctrine, it is likely that more members are studying AAB's
writings than HPB's writings. We (those of us who met you) valued your
presence in the lodge while you were here, appreciated your strong clear
voice on the issues, and wish you well in your present endeavors at Berkeley.

Zack