Theos-Talk Archives (June 1996 Message tl00796)

>Jerry Schueler writes>

>A process, such as the search for truth, requires
>some kind of techniques or practices.  Know any good ones?

Richard Ihle writes>
Psychogenetic prayer.

>>RI>>
>> Right now it is my perception that John Algeo and others, by seemingly
>>pushing for the idea that the ~Theosopical~ in ~The Theosophical Society~
>>stands for capital-T = HPB's doctrines, are trying to squeeze the general
>>Truth-seekers out of the Society completely.

JS>	First of all, it seems to me that this happens anyway, sooner
>or later.  Very few real truth seekers over the last century have stayed
>with the Society.  Most leave to form their own organizations.  Secondly,
why
>would Algeo want to do this?

RI>
I agree we have lost many seekers.

Why would Algeo want to squeeze the general Truth-seekers out of the Society?
 I am not sure that he realizes he is trying to do that.  He and others may
be just thinking that they are "saving" the Society by reasserting its
connection to HPB and the doctrines she presented.

In recent years I believe that a great fear has grown up in the inner circles
of the TS.  This fear is that the Society could be in danger of being taken
over by a relatively small number of people who might not agree with the
"Secret Codicil" which has been attached to THE THREE OBJECTS for many years
now.  It is this hitherto largely unspoken addition to the stated tripartite
organizing principles which seems to allow those in charge to come up with
"World Views," "Schools of Approved Theosophy," and various control/filter
mechanisms.

In Madison, I had lunch with Dorothy Abbenhouse about the time the proposed
provision that the president of the American Section could only be someone
who had served on the Board.  In her explanation to me, she actually used the
phrase "otherwise we could ~lose~ the Society someday."  The irony of the
situation is that I actually agreed with her.  It never dawned upon me that
this could turn into a hell of a congealed mess if we started getting nothing
but a succession of presidents who regarded the freer-thinking,
epistemological-type theosophists as their ~enemies~.

>>RI>>
>>By organizing the Society around THE THREE OBJECTS, it seems clear to me
>>that the Founders had the broad epistemological definition (small ~t~) in
mind for the >>general membership.  (~theosophy~:  "knowledge derived, at
least originally, by >>transcendental, mystical, or intuitive insight or
higher perception.")

>JS>
>I am sure that they did, especially in the beginning when
>little theosophical literature existed.

RI>
If Joy Mills had insisted that the ~Theosophical~ in ~The Theosophical
Society~ really stood for specific doctrines rather than a general sympathy
with theosophical epistemology, I would have never joined the Society.  I
would have not been an automatic believer; nor would I have consented to be a
second-class member until I was a first-class believer.

>>RI>>
>>Delahunt's article just preceding perhaps sums up the reality better than
>>John did:  "If you are not open to the study or consideration of
>>Theosophical teachings, then why do you want to be part of the Society
whose >>mission it is to teach and promote those ideas?"

>JS>
>The "theosophical teachings" include both doctrines and processes.  I have
to agree >with Delahunt, although it is up to each individual what to study
and how much, and so >on.  It is also up to each individual which Path to
tread.

RI>
Again, the problem is not being open to study the ideas, but rather, going
along with the premise that the Society's ~outer~ mission is to teach and
promote only certain approved ideas.  You probably agree with Delahunt if the
statement could be fleshed out thus:  ". . .Society whose mission it is to
teach and promote those ideas [and others, as they may be personally
understood by individuals, including Jerry Schueler]."

On the other hand, I think it is more likely that the statement reads like
this--now and for the foreseeable future:  ". . .Society whose mission it is
to teach and promote those ideas [which Jerry Schueler probably writes about
in official-close-enough agreement with HPB maybe 37% of the time]."

Godspeed,

Richard Ihle