Theos-Talk Archives (June 1996 Message tl00833)

On Mon, 24 Jun 1996, Bee Brown wrote:

> liesel f. deutsch wrote:
> >
> > Bee,
> >
> > If you'd like an opinion, if you have enough people willing to facilitate or
> > what have you, I'd have some of both. That was the original idea anyway, to
> > have some public meetings & some just for the serious members. How many of
> > each during a month can be decided on by the group.
> >
> > I had all tourists in my study center in Syracuse. Everything went fine as
> > long as I did it, and they could just come & take in whatever I had to
> > offer. That was ok to get started, but then I had a tresurer who didn't
> > collect donations, & a book agent who didn't want to order books, & when 1
> > of them agreed to conduct a program, he didn't prepare anything. So I just
> > stopped the whole thing. It's ok to give a side show to attract people I
> > think, but then a study center is supposed to promote serious study as well.
> >
> > Liesel
>
> Seeing them as tourists sort of gets a handle on the situation and that it's
> ok if they come sightseeing but I used to get so disappointed when these keen
> tourists didn't come back. I used to wonder what we weren't doing right but I
> see now that there isn't a lot to be done until they stop being such
> dedicated tourists. We have a lively study group of 6 going strong so that is
> not bad in such a small Lodge.
> Keep well
> Bee
> > ........................................................................
> >
> > >Yesterday I watched a video by Joy Mills, in fact it is a set of 6, that was
> > >done at the annual Queens Birthday Weekend 3 day seminars that are held in
> > >Auckland. This one was 3 years ago and I couldn't go that time. The whole 3
> > >days were called Guidelines for the Spiritual Life and the tape was The
> > >Pilgrim Path, Preparing for the Journey, tape 1.
> > >In it she brought up the concept that the world can be divided into two
> > >sorts, the Tourists and the Pilgrims. She then invited definitions of each
> > >from the audience and some interesting ideas were presented. Tourists come
> > >and look around and want to be entertained and expect to get their money's
> > >worth whereas a Pilgrim comes to seek a way and is focussed on that. There
> > >were many other examples but at the end she said that we should be careful
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> > >not to turn our Lodges into Tourist Attractions in our zeal to share our
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> > >wisdom. We need to preserve a place for the Pilgrim who's road is hard enough
> > >as it is. She hit a cord within me as I have been thinking along the Tourist
> > >Attraction notion to try to increase our membership but now maybe some real
> > >quality stuff for the Pilgrims already within our Lodge may be wiser and more
> > >profitable for us all.
> > >Interesting stuff.

	Most of us are fortunate in being exposed to Theosophy and I as a
Theosophist want each and every human being an opportunity to get exposed
to Theosophy. How much they are able to understand and use is something
that is up to the individual. Moreover, how can I or any one judge any
one as how they are going to respond to Theosophy when they are exposed
to it. As an example, I try to discuss some of the Theosophical
principles as well as apply them to strangers and sometimes they are very
responsive.

	It is the kind discouraging tourist approach that may be at the
root of the weakened state of many Lodges and Branches in the USA.

_______________________________________________________
    Peace to all living beings.

    M K Ramadoss, "a full time tourist"