Theos-Talk Archives (December 1995 Message tl00009)

Universal Youth
Newsletter of the WTYF=20
Nov 1995
Published by the World Theosophical Youth Federation New Zealand
Address:=20
Simon Webber 26 Hillcrest Rd Hamilton New Zealand
E-mail: malcolmi@iconz.co.nz =20
Marina Cesar Caixa Postal 124-Viam=E3o RS 94400-970 Brazil
E-mailasisson@vortex.ufrgs.br
Editors:Simon Webber and Charles Sitwell

Greetings!
Welcome to the Nov edition the fourth for the year of the World
Theosophical Youth Federation. We the New Zealand Young Theosophists feel
a certain "wonder" with our involvement in the WTYF. That is communicating
with our brothers around the world; questioning investigating and enquiring
into life and trying to make the world a better place through our
involvement with the WTYF.
It gives us great pleasure and inspiration when we receive the Brazilian
issue and read the events happening from all around the world. It reinforces
our message of oneness with others.
Congratulations to our new WTYF President Ulisses Borges de Resende. We
wish you all the best and will help you in every way possible. Thanks to
Arnaldo Sisson. F for holding the fort for 17 years and keeping the youth
from around the world together. We wouldn't be here today if he had not.
Arnaldo has asked us to mention in this issue that Ulisses will be in
Adyar at this year's international convention and is planning to organise
some WTYF meetings like we had last year those of you who attended last
years meetings will remember that we achieved a lot. If you will be in
Adyar this year could you keep this in mind and mention it to any other
young ones who will be attending. There will also be a WTYF youth camp 3-9
Feb 1996 at Colonia Teosfica San Rafael Argentina. Please contact
our Secretary Marina Cesar for further details.
Our experiments with the internet are proving a success. It is a fast
and efficient way of keeping in touch with each other. If any of you have
access to e-mail then send us a line sometime. It would be great to hear
from you. However we have been recieving letters via standard post and it
is wonderful to read them. We have published some of them to share with you.
It seems very appropriate that our Brazilian edition has a column titled
"Sharing the Way" because they publish our letters and thoughts.
Consequently we will now rename our correspondence column "Satellite
Shift" and call it "Sharing the Way" too.=20
This issue has as its theme "Brotherhood". There are a couple of
articles on brotherhood conveying some personal thoughts and feelings about
brotherhood. There is also a reply titled "Flora and Fauna" to the
article "Thorny Issues" printed in the Apr edition of the WTYF
newsletter. We also have correspondence from around the world including
poems and sketches. Please write with suggestions for the next theme.
Contact us by Feb at the latest as the next edition will most likely
come out in Apr. =20
We are interested at the moment in what activities members of the Round
Table and Theosophical Order of Service TOS participate in. We hope that
we could all share ideas thoughts and meditations of interest especially
with countries like New Zealand that don't have a TOS. We would also like
to develop an awareness and interest in members who can't get access to
these groups.
In NZ we are looking forward to our centennial from Jan 06 - 10 1996. We
know of some fellow young theosophists coming from Austrailia and will enjoy
meeting them and any others that may arrive from New Zealand or overseas.
This is always an exellent time for discussing a wide range of topics .

Psychological Aspects of Brotherhood
This article consists of some personal thoughts on brotherhood.
However they are not of an abstract or intellectual bent but are based on
actual psychological changes that I am experiecing. I feel it is
appropriate to share them with everyone since it was agreed in Adyar
1994/95 convention that the WTYF newsletter published from New Zealand be
a medium among other things for expressing common psychological problems
experiences and discoveries that the young people of today are going
through. And I am going through changes of this nature at the moment. =20
The Theosophical Society proposes to create a nucleus of universal
brotherhood. And I have been questioning myself for the past five years
since I joined the society what that means for me. I have read some of
the standard TS literature and have a fairly reasonable "intellectual"
understanding of what the creation of a universal brotherhood means.
However for me now it seems a step up in intensity is required if I am to
paticipate in and help create that brotherhood. =20
The literature speaks of =93buddhi=94 intelligence or in the west
=93intuition=94. To me this means a blending of mind and heart. Not=
emotional
sentimentalism devoid of cognition or mental coldness devoid of feeling
but an integration of the two. It requires that my heart be fused with my
mind. The Bagavadgita refers to a dissolution of the mind=92s continuity and
one of the preliminary statements in =93Light on the Path=94 refers to the=
soul
having its feet washed in the blood of the heart; ie sacrifice. I may be
wrong about this blending process but that is all I have to go on because
in the final analysis I have only got myself to rely on. And this goes for
everyone because ahead of us is that solitary trek from the =93alone to=
the
Alone=94 that we all must undertake at some time or another.
So my investigation into what the TS means to me and why I am in it if
it is to be answered requires that this process eventuate. I cannot just
sit back and be a mental participant in the TS as I have been in the past.
I also think it has to do with my "Svabhava" or what is expected of me
in this lifetime my life calling. I am now 29 and I believe that
astrologically at the age of 28 Saturn returns to where it was when we were
born. Thus for 28 years I have "grown into" where I left off in my last
incarnation and am now beginning a period of new growth and lessons. And I
think it is a birth in consciousness. A blending of heart and mind and
therefore operating in the world with love and compassion for all sentient
beings. But for this to occur requires that a price be paid. And that
price is "me". My little selfish separate self. And this is the
psychological change or dilemma that is occuring in my life now.=20
Inherent in this psychological process is fear which is a concomitant
of this change. And I live with fear every day of my life. In a book titled
"Zanoni" which HPB recommended that every occultist read fear or the
Dweller on the Threshold is in direct antagonism with faith natures
messenger of reasurancce. My dissolving of the mind's continuity brings
about fear since I am afraid of losing my separate self the known and
experienceing something better; faith - a union in consciousness with the
Divine this has been expressed in poetry as =91the dewdrop slipping into=
the
shining sea=92. However in not giving up the known or my little ego=
then
I will not experience "something better" and thereby be able to help create
by the Divine acting through me the nucleus of universal brotherhood which
we aspire to in joining the Theosophical Society.
Do any of you feel that this is happening to you? Do you think that if
our nucleus of universal brotherhood is to be created that it requires such
a process?=20
I guess all this means is that we must keep going through our own
difficulties because fundamentally "ALL IS ONE". When I receive letters
from my brothers around the world and read what's happening in the
"Universal Human Family" it puts things back in perspective. I feel joy
happiness and also feel that we are doing something worthwhile in carrying
out the society=92s objectives through the WTYF. And this keeps me going
because if I don't try and do my "little bit" then our endeavours will be
worse off rather than better. =20
So I would like to leave you with some inspiration; something to help
you through the dark stages in your life. Something which continues to help
me through this current psychological dilemma. It is a poem I wrote. But
when I say this I didn't really write it although it was my hand that
jotted it down on a piece of paper. It was given to me from "on high" if
you like. Three years ago I had a perception. I had been asking myself
questions such as; "What am I to do with my life?" and "What are the
answers?" when this perception occurred. I was lying in bed on a sunny
morning looking out the door watching the sea trees and birds when an
intuitive vision filled my mind accompanied with feelings of wonder. I had
to bring this perception "down to earth" and the result is the poem you see
on the opposite page..
It was the answer I had been looking for. I share it with you all
because it may help you with the hand that life has dealt you to play.
Take care. May we be True to Ourselves and make the world a better=
place.

Simon Webber
New Zealand

Looking within
Fear greets my gaze.
Retreat!
Worldly morality meaningless to me
The relentless hunter allowing no escape.
At the crossroads and choice confronts me
A sand storm rages directly where I stand
To remain here is to die.
Directions of course! and eagerly I look:-
Behind the grasses almost hidden
Reclines the solitary signpost -
Reeling in horror
My dreams and hopes shattered
There are only two words
which read =93Look within=94

Simon Webber

The Universal Brotherhood of Humanity
We congratulate you for choosing this theme. It is a very important one
with a really crucial importance to the mission of the TS. Universal
Brotherhood is said by the Mahatmas in Their letters to A.P.Sinnett to be
the leading idea of the TS. It is the heart of the first Object.
All important things seem not to be easy ones. And this subject
although it looks to be very simple surely is a difficult one. Otherwise
why would in one of the Letters it be written: "...the general misconception
of the aims and objects of the Society that paralyses its progress - nothing
else. There's no want of definitiveness in these objects were they but
properly explained." M. L.38 p. 251 So if a general misconception was
there and according to our point of view - is still there - then this is
NOT an easy matter. And so this aspect also reinforces the importance of
this subject.
Due to the limited space of a newsletter we will comment on just 03
points. First; usually Univ. Brotherhood is seen as a virtue something that
we must develop ie. an aspiration instead of something already and
actually existing in Nature ie. a law or fact in Nature. Second that the
two main aspects of this law are from a common parenthood or source which
implies equal values of the brothers and sisters and the existence of
different ages of younger and elder brothers which implies different levels
of capacities or maturity. And third that the first Object of the TS
points to the formation of an organisation where its rules its model its
structure are derived or in harmony with the two main aspects of this law
of Nature.
As far as we can see the two main aspects of this kind of relation
similar to that of brothers brotherhood is that there is the same
parenthood and second that there are different ages younger and elder
brothers.=20
These two aspects MAY look to be very simple and not very relevant.
Indeed that is what the world tend to think about them - that this is very
nice to say but that it is not real that it is something naive etc. And
in reality the leading thought currents of the world those that organise
or give birth to the main social institutions of the world like liberalism
and Marxism for example do not understand and more than that they negate
in their central premises the law/fact of the Univ. Brotherhood of Humanity
since they affirm different things a different picture with different main
aspects or axioms in relation to humanity. If we go into their main or
central premises it is very easy to see that they =93see=94 humanity not as=
a
universal brotherhood but as something else. And out of that central
blunder are generated terrible results lots of suffering and conflict. This
is so because they generate social systems institutions based on wrong
premises and that are therefore unable to organise the human family
harmoniously.=20
They negate these two main aspects: same parenthood same source which
implies same value; but also at the same time different ages different
levels of evolution which implies different levels of capacities or=
maturity.=20
These two aspects are negated. Just to give one example we have in the
world today mass suffrage all are considered to a great extent as having
similar capacities to judge national and international issues - which is a
blunder and out of that kind of social institution so many people unworthy
of being governors etc are elected.
As to the first aspect just a quotation from Dr. Besant: "... has not
Emerson taught the same lesson? ... he taught the great truth that Nature
only looks cruel while we oppose her; she is our strongest helper when we
join ourselves to her. For every law that crushes you when you oppose it
lifts you when you are united to it. ...' "Brotherhood then in its full
meaning is a law in Nature. Stress has more than once been laid on this in
our meetings but not too much stress has thereon been laid. For it is the
very object the desire of our work that brotherhood shall become
practical in society and it will never become practical until men
understand that it is a law and not only an aspiration. ... in that very
way we have preached brotherhood. And yet brotherhood is but so little known
..." "The Spiritual Life" vol II p. 160.
The next aspect is that to understand this law we must see that its
two main aspects are the unity of a common parenthood and the
differentiation of "ages" of evolutionary levels. Here again just a
quotation from the pen of Dr. Besant: "But to understand Brotherhood we
must remember that evolution proceeds by reincarnation under the law of
karma. ... Now most of you believe these two great teachings and in your
individual lives they play a might part. Why do you not apply them to
nations as well as to individuals to social problems as well as to the
helping of your own personal development ? As the ideas of reincarnation and
karma make their way in the western world which has the habit of applying
principles to practice I think we shall find this Ideal of Brotherhood
under the law of reincarnation and karma will solve many of the problems
under which the world is groaning in our time." "The Ideals of Theosophy"
p. 21 =20
Here it is important to note that the leading thought currents of our
times are not in harmony with this law of the universal brotherhood of
humanity. We just have to examine the fundamental principles of Marxism and
of Liberalism to see the truth of the previous statement. We have just to
compare the false egalitarian patterns of their principles and the
consequence of their social systems with statements like the following one
to see how distant they are" "That great principle of Reincarnation must
ever go hand in hand with the principle of Brotherhood; if Brotherhood is to
be applied if it is to be made a working principle of ordinary life. For it
is out of these differences of age that grows up all the possibilities of an
ordered and happy society amongst ourselves." Dr. Annie Besant "The
Changing World" p. 79.
As to the third aspect again a quotation now from the Letters: "The
truths and mysteries of occultism constitute indeed a body of the highest
spiritual importance at once profound and practical for the world at large.
... they were given to you but for their practical bearing on the
interests of mankind. ... They have to prove both destructive and
constructive - destructive in the pernicious errors of the past in the old
creeds and superstitions which suffocate in their poisonous embrace like the
Mexican weed nigh all mankind; but constructive of new institutions of a
genuine practical Brotherhood of Humanity where all will become co-workers
of nature ... The Chiefs want a "Brotherhood of Humanity" a real
Universal Fraternity started; an institution which would make itself known
throughout the world and arrest the attention of the highest minds." K.H.
L. 06 p. 23/24 So it seems to us that the TS should be a miniature of
these "new institutions" a model or example to be copied and applied by
the highest minds to the solutions "consistent solutions" of the worlds
urgent problems. Unfortunately in most places and certainly at the
international level the most important one the TS is but a poor copy of
the institutions today dominating in the world. Too bad but who cares?=20

Marina & Arnaldo Sisson. F.
Brazil

Sharing the Way
Correspondence from around the globe

Dear Simon & Charles
May you be well and in peace! Congratulations for the newsletter
Universal Youth - Ed. I'll comment more to the e-mail address but it is
very good. Now is just to send you the official convocation to the WTYF
elections. =20
I'll write soon to the e-mail!

Lots of love from Arnaldo & Marina.
Past WTYF Chairman & Secretary Brazil

To the Universal Youth
I would like to ask a question which you may like to include in a
future edition of Universal Youth or the Young Theosophist and invite the
responses of others.
Do you think that karma works on the objective principles of "good" and
"bad"?
I enjoy and appreciate Universal Youth and the Young Theosophist so
thank you all for your efforts.

David Hutchinson
Queensland Australia.

Dear friend Simon
I got both your letters and I am taking the chance to share my opinion
with you. Regarding your newsletter [Universal Youth] it is difficult for me
to say something about it because until now I haven't done much to
participate. It is always easy to criticise when you haven't done anything
and don't know how difficult it is to face all the problems that arise in
creating and publishing such a newsletter. But I want to be honest. I guess
that is what this newsletter needs to become to a good one and I also guess
that is what you want and its not meant personally what I am saying but
only regarding the form of the newsletter.
I don't like it as it is up to now. I feel myself one voice in the youth
crowd. I see no other reason for a youth newsletter than pointing to an
ideal. Making it clear by discussing and understanding it with oneself and
helping to create it an ideal which is moving within the hearts of those
who are young. In achieving that we have to understand what we are writing
and why we are writing it. I am sure many of those writing in the last issue
were not sure about these points.
If we don't learn see and understand how much our ideas are a mixture
of personal interests and those of an impersonal idealistic nature how then
will we be able in the future to turn the world the right way when this
task having the status and position to change outward conditions for the
better will be put on the shoulders of those who see themselves as one of
the youth today? Look at the issue - things are put to heights which the
person likes or dislikes which are told with an unattractive image. So much
is said in relation to the personal judgement of the writer. And that for
sure puts the ideal beyond the possibility of reach because the essential
problems are discussed on a personal level - discussions that will be
endless and not lead to the manifestation of the ideal until one
understands the condition under which he/she suffers.
Well that is the reason why this youth magazine should point to this
condition first of all be aware of it because when that takes place there
will automatically be the words which will move the idealistic nature of the
reader. The ideal has to be freed out of the boundaries which rape and
reduce it to a rain shelter of the egoistic nature. Only then can the two
factors mentioned above status and position to change outward conditions
be used by hands which are capable of creating a whole work of art which
will be the change that so many try to bring about but who have failed until
now.
Forgive me my words if they should sound hard but I feel it is so
important to cut this line of unconsciously continuing mistakes which is
the result of the misunderstanding of a person/group believing that they are
changing things when what they do is mainly a shifting on the same
horizontal level and not a vertical journey up to the top. That is why I had
to write this consciously. Also my own failures and mistakes in this world
are big.

Honestly taking your hand with mine and hugging you
Yours Andr=E9 Schumacher
BerlinGermany

Dear Simon
Thank you for your letter the newsletters and the t-shirt it is very
nice. All greetings for the Young Theosophists over there I have the photo
you gave me.... I am happy to be at home sometimes I remember Adyar it is
very special place for me and a very good experience to have lived there for
some time. I am sure I will come back again.=20
Here I attend meetings in my lodge and my old friends are really nice to
meet. Of all the members I am still the youngest can you believe it? but
now there are two more young women they just joined a few days ago.
Here I send you the photocopies of some sketches that I have done for
the newsletter and also a poem which is below the statue of the unwanted
dog in Barcelona's zoo [see page 15].
Surely it happens everywhere here in my town it is very common to see
at the end of the big holidays of the year many dogs and cats that have been
derelict. This is a tourist area and the poor animals are sometimes
beautiful ones that do not know how to survive in the streets.
In my village which is more or less 15 km from Alicante a not very big
town there are no organisations that can do something about it. Meanwhile
the cats are more and in worse conditions. The saddest thing is that in the
University they require cats for vivisection and they pay some money to the
people who bring them in with no questions.
I will inquire to the Animal Protection Society of Alicante to see if
something can be done but somebody told me already that they just put down
the cats. I shall check it up.
Well that is all for now. You also take care. With affection

Silvia.
AlicanteSpain

Dear Lara May
I received your letter dated 9th Feb regarding your initiative in
setting up a network and commend your people for this very useful
enterprise. As far as we are concerned Mt Helena is a retreat centre that
does not have a membership; it is a facility used by Perth Lodge members. I
shall ensure that they have copies of the questionnaire and that they carry
out your request
I have very fond memories of NZ where I did a lecture tour some years
ago. At this time I presented a number of workshops on spiritual awareness
techniques and many participants asked me if I was interested in writing a
book about the subject - well I did and it was published about a year ago.
The book is entitled 'The Spiritual Path to Complete Fulfilment'. As far as
I have been able to ascertain there have been no sales in NZ and that is a
pity since the idea was initiated in your country and the book's content
should appeal to all theosophists particularly young ones who wish to
practice self-culture rather than just talk about it!
Perhaps you may be able to assist by ensuring the TS bookshops are
stocking it the TS libraries are putting it on the shelf - and members are
aware of its existence. I enclose a copy of the publishers leaflet for your
information [Phillip Harris's book is distributed by Allen & Unwin Ltd].
The continuous accusation levelled at our TS is that the members are
'head-oriented' and do little except talk. I don't think that that is
entirely true but I do know that many members have complained about the
absence of many modern works based on theosophy and with practical approach.
This book of mine is an attempt to remedy the situation
Thank your for your letter - I hope that the venture prospers and if I
can help in any way let me know.

Your fraternally
Phillip Harris
Mt Helena Western Australia

Dear Simon
Thanks for your letter addresses and newsletter "Universal Youth". I
have made copies and distributed these to the YT's here. I have also
encouraged them to write to other YT's and may contribute to your=
Newsletter.
It was great to meet you in Adyar and hear ideas on how to stimulate the
world TS Youth Federation. I very much like the format and content of your
newsletter. Well done! I am so pleased you are doing this work. Caring
people are a rare breed. They oil the gears of Social life and without them
the world would be in a very sorry state.

Thankyou for caring. Warmest Fraternal Greetings
Tom Davis
Pretoria South Africa

Dear Lara-May
I am glad that there are groups of YT's obviously functioning under
less stress than what we did. But Melbourne is known as somewhat of a Black
Hole as far as esoteric groups are concerned. Normal groups anywhere
around the world but Melbourne! We had a YT group in Melbourne for about
3-4 years 3rd incarnation. Starting off small but a good group at the=
end.
We continued informally but encouraged each other to give a short talk
10-20 minutes followed by a discussion. We also held many workshops - we
were all a wealth of information on pet interests - topics included
crystals music and metamorphic technique. Participation was our goal -
Positive and Inter-active theosophy.
I hope that this may be of some interest to you. And I would be
interested to know how you are set up there. Good luck with your endeavours.

Yours sincerely
Caroline van Dissel
Endeavour HillsAustralia
formerly of the Melbourne YT's.

Dear Simon
Thanks for the paper. I attended both the European School and the
International Congress in Stockholm. We are planning to build up a European
youth section but I see no reason to limit it to Europe. Still those ideas
are hollow but someday!!! I'll soon send an e-mail!

Take care
Andreas Borg
Gothenburg Sweden.

Dear Simon
Hello!. I received your newsletter Apr issue along with your letter.
Thank you for the same. Then how are you Simon? Please give my regards to Mr
Charles; how is he? I intend to attend the Dec convention 95. Please
do write according to the availability of time - and send your newsletters
as usual. I am glad to receive the materials from you.

Praying for your happiness and peace of mind.
With lots of love and affection
Anand. R.
Kerela India.

Flora & Fauna
To lose our native flora and fauna or kill their enemies? that is the
question.
While this question is being asked and answered with some intensity from
Alaska to Africa and Auckland it isn't despite appearing to be the
question. It is only an attempt an early-days first attempt at trying to
frame the question and of course it is a good place to start. But now that
we suspect it isn't quite right as a question it only contains two
possibilities: kill or have something of ours killed we can poke around a
little to see what can be done to increase its range and depth and
sophistication.
One could begin by asking some question which seem likely to provide
useful partial starting points:
1. In what sense are native flora and fauna ours? We certainly are not
their creators. Perhaps their creators however envisaged have another view
of the entire conflict? Should we take their viewpoint into consideration?
2. If we take the nature spirit view of creation it raises the question
of whether we might consider consulting the senior Rabbit Nature Spirit and
the Elder Possum Nature Spirit prior to putting their offspring to death.
They might like equal time. Could we expect to get an unbiased reply? If
rabbits are seen to be damaging pasture we might also consider consulting
with the nature spirits behind the various grass species for a balanced=
view.
3. Any such consultation might be more profitable if approached from the
realisation that we have precious little knowledge of the purposes behind
any particular groupings of life whether bacterial fungal animal or
vegetable. From a theosophical perspective we might as well add mineral.
4. Suppose we proceed a little further by imagining some possible
answers. It is likely that the Rabbit Nature Spirit would say =93We have
placed these creatures in your country so that you may slaughter them. Go
for it=94?
5. Well perhaps the reply might be this one: In spite of my best efforts
I have lost control of Rabbit kind though they live and breath in my being
though every drop of life that courses through their veins and little
carrot-loving souls first courses through mine. Accordingly I am unable to
right the balance of the portion of nature that has been assigned to me and
it is a good thing that mankind is ready with guns traps and poison to
assist me in my efforts to evolve a Rabbit group soul.
6. Is there any possibility of adding some concrete experience to the
above perhaps fanciful perhaps real but distant imaginings? I have
intervened at least two times this lifetime in a seeming dispute between
several natural forces in nature. The outcomes which were decidedly
unexpected have served to severely caution me about the wisdom of thinking
I knew on which side to throw my weight. One was a fight between an adult
goose and a wild fox the second was between a native grass clearing and a
bushfire both stories too long to relate here. The point I wish to convey
is that in both instances my non-theosophical choice was very quickly shown
to be wrong.
Finally I recall a passage I read in a mystical work so long ago that I
cannot remember its author or title but the scene and the incident is vivid
in my memory: A pupil has just been accepted as a new disciple of a master
and has a week to tidy up his affairs before he must move on to an unknown
but welcome stage on the Path. He is contemplating doing some long overdue
weeding of a useless patch of blackberries and bracken when a disembodied
voice gravely reminds him that he hasn't a clue as to the destiny of that
plot of land nor the needs of its vegetable or animal residents and he
would therefore further his own and its development by just leaving it
severely lone which the reader presumes is what he does.
One seems to hear again faintly in the air in the more than 2000 year
old Greek phrase from Hippocratic Oath First Do No Harm. None of the above
is meant to suggest that there is an easy answer. If there were such this
wouldn't really be the Plant called Earth but there are certainly better
questions and towards them we slowly work our way.

MrGladney Oakley=20
NSW Australia

Your breed=92s unimportant
unimportant your name
your life so short
that you give to man.
It=92s the faithful offer
of your love with no bounds
that is in your eyes=20
of shining flame
until the last day=20
final and ignored
of your sad life

>From a statue in Barcelona zoo