Theos-Talk Archives (April 1996 Message tl00685)

>Daniel:
>
>I have some comments on this genral topic.
>
>One it seems to me that the history of the theosophical movement is rife
>with the "thrid object" and it's many manifestations. I think it is post
>Krishnamurti dabacle Theosophy that fears unrestrained psychism, and for
>very good reasons. But HPB's wartnings agains "mediumship" were points well
>made, and well put. However, it is a great mistake to confuse psycism and
>mediumship. As HPB regularly pointed out "Mediumship" is unconscious and
>uncontrollable by the medium, whereas conscious psychism is a totally
>controllable activity" this is the distinction she was trying to make. She
>never warned agains paranormal activity, how could she? And I am sure you
>could provide numberless citations of her making the distinction between the
>two types of activity.
>
>What I think we see today, in the official theosophical disapproval of
>anything but the intellectual discussion os psychism is based on fear. Fear
>that the uncontrollable psychic activities (and unprovable) of the CWL era
>(which runs all the way down to our own times in the persons of
>Jinarajadasa, Arundale, and Taimini, might once again take the TS down roads
>it no longer thinks it wise to travel. One can easily see why. To me, it's a
>mistake, and it tends to denigrate the thrid object and ignore most modern
>paranormal research. But I don't think that the TS's fear of spychism is
>basic, only that it's realtively recent.
>
>alexis dolgorukii
>
If I may butt in here, I would like to say a little about this in relation
to NZ and the recent reminder by our own Nat Pres to be more Theosophical. I
was able to talk to him over lunch when he came to Wanganui to give a talk
the other day. I expressed my concern at what I perceived as a 'tightening
of the belt'  and I was disturbed by it. He gave me some background of other
lodges that did not have a basic Theosophical core in their membership so
that the lodge was a forum for other than Theosophical knowledge. There is a
danger that if a President of a lodge is not strong enough to counter the
wild side of some 'new age' beliefs then the lodge doesn't represent
Theosophy anymore. He said that if a lodge had Theosophy over its door, it
should not mislead the public by 'doing' non-theosophy as its main feature
and that is where the fine line comes into play. We have a lodge in recess
here and a courtcase pending because a guy who tended to be disruptive and
claimed a direct line to Jesus wanted to steer the lodge away from Theosophy
and take up his teachings and follow him. The more theosophical members got
upset and a split occurred that nesitated involvement of Head Office and
much unpleasantness has ensued over the past year and has cost a lot of
money. I get the impression that it isn't psychism as such that is the main
problem but the fact that it is identified with the 'new age' nowadays and
there are some weird and wonderful groups under that umbrella that try to
use a lodge and a ready made membership to spread their message. Many of
these people are very enthusiastic and get emotional if others so not
immediately agree with them. Theosophists do not like to be told that they
are following a dead path and that this new one that is being pushed will
solve all their problems. I know of people who, as a group have shifted
around and done some strange things because a channelled entity told them
to. They arrived in a town and became interested in the local lodge and
tried to convince the members that the 'end was nigh' etc. Fortunately they
lost interest when noone took any notice of them but that doesn't always
happen. Maybe as stories like that get around, Theosophy feels the need to
protect what has been it's rationale for so many years and there are many
varied attempts to do that which we see as fearful behaviour because we may
not know what occurred to bring it about. Going to Exec meetings with other
NZ presidents give insight into the diverse personalities that are more or
less in charge of theosophy as some of them have very small memberships who
tend to leave it to the one who will do the work and that is often the
president. We have begun again the Sunday mornings where presidents can get
together and help each other to solve any problems they have. These follow
on from Exec meetings in Auckland on the Saturday and happen quarterly with
the first one in end May. I personally know quite a few NZ members who are
into psychism and noone give them a hard time. Not everybody embraces it
either but it is a matter of live and let live over here.
These are just some of my thoughts on it. I have just started reading the
first of Olcotts Diary Leaves and was HPB a rascal, was she ever. She even
got her nuisance elemental to hem the new towels that Olcott bought. I
wonder if I could find one of them, would be very handy
Peace and harmony to us all.
>
Bee Brown
Member TSNZ,Wanganui Branch.
Theos Int & L