Theos-Talk Archives (April 1996 Message tl00002)

Alan ...
	How very extraordinary ... I have been thinking at great length
the last few days about the very topic upon which you just posted - and
indeed am in the midst of composing something probably rather long about
it - your post raises interesting questions ...
	The recent questioning of Adyar's (and for that matter,
Wheaton's) exceedingly questionable behaviour over the last few years has
gotten me thinking beyond the people involved (though the personalities
involved *do* matter), and lead me to ask the far deeper question:
	What, exactly, *is* the purpose of Adyar, of Wheaton, of the
organized structures? If Adyar "excommunicated" the American Section -
what *exactly* would anyone lose? If the Branch of Wheaton to which I
sometimes belong were excommunicated by Wheaton ... what precisely would
be the loss? Neither actually is concerned with *serving* the members,
but seem to view their memberships rather more like flocks of sheep to be
herded - and apparently, like your charming countrymen, are ready to
"slaughter" every Theosophist in a nation or a Lodge if they believe a few
have caught "mad Theosophist's disease" (whereby entire Branches and
Nations actually decide to see Theosophy differently than its leadership
does).
	In the early days, when there was something that might be called
an actual Theosophical "movement", and very little was published and the
ideas in Theosophy were quite new to the western world, there likely
*was* a need for a Society to introduce the basic ideas as part of its
institutional mission, but the concepts of karma and reincarnation hardly
need promulgation any longer, and there is a veritable wealth of
literature that people are fully capable of reading on their own if they
wish (though much of it is beginning to seem quite dated to those of this
current era).
	The TPH does provide a service in keeping some of the early
literature in print, but its likely that things like the SD or Isis would
not go out of print anyway - and often the THP seems used as much as a
political tool as anything ... those who tow the line get book contracts
as rewards - many with books that don't even manage to break even, and
might have so little appeal to any but a few that they probably wouldn't
be published other than as a favor  - and those who come to different
conclusions than those approved by HQ ... regardless of the merit, value,
or even marketability of their work ... are told to go elsewhere.
	The Olcott library and the Adyar archives are valuable, but their
value (IMO) is not being tapped, but rather diminished when the price for
using them becomes paying to support the ideology of a particular faction
that has locked HQ under its control ... and we've all heard what has now
happened to the Adyar archives ... they no longer are the heritage of the
Theosophical Family, but now are controlled by people who somehow believe
they have the right to give or withhold access - again - based on the
ideology of the researcher.

	In fact, I would pay no attention at all to Wheaton or Adyar were
it not for the single fact that they hold legal power over resources that
are (at least *morally*) the *common* heritage of *all* Theosophists.
These resources are now being held virtually *hostage* by people who are
using them to exert ideological control over an organization begun with
Objects that are action words: To *form*, to *study*, to *investigate*.
It is so appallingly far from the spirit of those Objects to actually
institutionally *define* how the formation will happen, what will be
studied, and how investigation will proceed - the thought that Adyar
would actually kick entire national sections out, would refuse to even
*recognize* a Russian Section unless actual *prescribed* courses of study
are followed and tests taken - that Wheaton would sue one of its own
Lodges, using *our* membership money to do so, and would also (like a
baby Adyar) insist on prescribed courses of study and tests before study
sections are recognized - who the *HELL* do these people think they are?
	Both Wheaton and Adyar are adept at speaking the spiritual lingo
- and have very polished presentations, one meets them and thinks them to
be kind and humble seekers - but their *actions*, behind the scenes, are
at times as cold, calculating, and ruthless as those of any medieval
European or Oriental despot ... and their belief in their own standing,
legal as well as moral ... to claim as complete a control as they
possibly can seems beyond question. One gets the feeling that their
sentiments towards the idea of Democracy closely resemble those of
Louis XIV ... shocked that the rabble would even think themselves
qualified to have *any* decision making power.

	We live, IMO, in very different times. We no longer need a HQ,
whether at Wheaton or Adyar, to *lead* us ... only to *coordinate our
activities* - to provide the service of combining resources so as to
accomplish more. It would be wonderful for TI to accept Russian
memberships, even better if we could assist Russian Theosophists in the
ways that an organized institution could do ... providing literature,
helping to organize ... assisting those who wish to start Lodges - but it
is not yet at anywhere close to that stage of development. These are
things that the organized leaderships *should* be doing, if they are to
even justify their existances ... yet they not only are no longer
facilitating a Theosophical "movement", they seem intent upon making sure
the late 20th century "boost" never happens ... they can control a
miniscule society, but if the TS actually became large, actually reached
the point of affecting human civilization, it would spin completely out
of any small group's control. Not only is virtually no effort being put
towards *expanding* the TS, but the current leaderships seem far more
concerned with actually *limiting* it - somehow believing they have a
*gift* that people need to earn - and believe themselves fit to impose
the standards necessary to earn it - and the power and spiritual standing
to take it away. Who the hell *DO* these people think they are.
	Good lord, the Russian people have just been through an
extraordinary hell - breaking out of a regime that *imposed ideological
control* over its populations ... and how, then, does Adyar welcome the
interest now arising with the new freedom to think and study? By
*imposing ideological control* as a *condition of membership*. *WHO THE
HELL DO THESE PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE*?

	I have immense hopes for TI. I'd love to say, as a member of TI,
to all Russian Theosophists: JOIN US ... we WELCOME you: We do *not*
consider ourselves to be seated on thrones ... if *you* accept the Three
Objects, and *you* claim to be Theosophists, you *are* Theosophists - and
no puffed up, passive-agressive, condescending Mahatma wannabees spouting
hints of connections with the "Masters" and acting like Popes has any
damn standing to give or refuse you membership in Theosophy. To all
Danish and Canadian Theosophists: JOIN US ... we WELCOME you: And we will
*not* try to tell you what you can or cannot study, what you can or
cannot explore - and we won't try to steal your Lodges or your money -
will not *tell* you what to do, nor what is Theosophy and what is not,
but will *ask* you what *you* consider Theosophy to be, how you wish to
work on its behalf ... and some of us, who feel a resonance, may
actually try to *help* you in specific projects, instead of thwarting you
in your endeavors.

	I truly hope Alan's first sketch of a "Lodge" system stimulates
some good conversation - what a tremendous challenge ... to try to
*build* an organization *from the ground up* - one that, as HPB and the
Masters did, recognizes the inviolate nature of the individual conscience
- who leaves it to the *individual* to decide whether they are a
*Theosophist*, requiring only acceptance of the Three Objects as a
condition of membership. Many of us probably shiver to think of an
organization in any form when we think of TI, but ultimately, it *would*
be nice to be able to collect and organize collective resources so as to
promote things like the re-birth of Russian Theosophy. If this could be
accomplished, however, it could very well render the spiritual
abusiveness of our  current leaderships irrelevent - let them
excommunicate whomever they wish, let them refuse membership  ... there
will be another organization, far more supportive - if quite a bit more
loosely organized - that will be happy to accept those rejected by the
"hierarchy" (small "h") ... and may someday be able to provide benefits
as great - even far greater - than anything Wheaton or Adyar would
withhold from them.

	Now and then, when I think of what TI holds as possibility, I get
a jolt up my spine - seem to have a dim sense of what it must have been
like in the first and earliest days ... when Theosophy set people on fire
and changed the world.
						Tally ho,     -JRC